


Warning Signs

by Self_Aware_Protagonist



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Character Turned Into Vampire, M/M, Turned Vampire Isa, Vampire Lea
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-12
Updated: 2019-11-12
Packaged: 2021-01-29 17:08:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 16
Words: 36,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21413668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Self_Aware_Protagonist/pseuds/Self_Aware_Protagonist
Summary: (Re-cast of original Warning Signs fic)After a wild night with a handsome stranger, Isa starts experiencing some...strange symptoms. His friends are convinced he's been bitten by a vampire, but that can't be right. Now, his only hope is Google.
Relationships: Isa/Lea (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 10





	1. do bite marks need stitches

The booming music and the alcohol coursing through my blood made it all the easier for the red- haired man to get me into bed. 

I can't quite remember the name of the club where we met, the only hint being that it existed in a part of town I wasn't too familiar with. Friday night was hitting me harder than the alcohol in my body, begging me to lose myself among the masses of sweat-slicked bodies in motion. 

I was alone that night, my two best friends having their own date night. I couldn't remember the last time I had been tangled up in someone else's limbs, the feeling of bedsheets on my back, my hands, my knees... 

The man spotted me from across the dance floor, poison-green eyes flashing among the colored strobes. He approached me like an animal closing in on its prey; my fight-or-flight response dulled, deciding I would do neither. Closer up now, I could see the red eyeliner framing his sharp eyes, like blood smeared over his lids. He swept his fingers through his mane, and pursed his lips as he drank me in. 

"Hey," I couldn't hear myself too well underneath the music - something that made my heartbeat faster, anticipating the stranger's every move - but I hoped I wasn't shouting. 

"'Hey' yourself," the stranger challenged, lifting his head and studying me at a different angle. "You taken?" 

"Nope; haven't been for a while." I responded, perhaps letting a bit too much on. I pressed my hand against the bar, pushing myself a little closer to the man. "Wanna change that?" 

The man's lips turned to a smile-bearing smirk. "I like the way you think. What's your name?" 

The song changed, something a little smoother, but louder to the point where I had to shout above it. "Isa; yours?" 

"Lea." 

I glanced over Lea's slender shoulders at the chameleon dance floor. 

"Wanna dance, Lea?" 

"The pleasure would be all mine." 

Within seconds, his body was pressed against mine, rolling hips against ass to the heart-rattling bass. I couldn't distinguish myself from my surroundings, blending into the background with Lea sliding his hands over me. A place where everyone could see, but no one was watching. With every touch, my desire grew like the flames in Lea's hair. 

I pressed my lips to his ear and murmured the magic words: "Wanna get out of here?" 

His answer came out as half a groan. "Yeah. Where?" 

"My place." 

Flashing lights became more distant as I hailed the Uber and Lea pushed me into the backseat. His lips practically assaulted mine, and I let him pin me to the seat. 

The car stopped at the three-story apartment complex. Disoriented from one drink too many and one kiss not enough, I led Lea up the stairs to the second floor. I fumbled with my key, the click of the tumblers unlocking a night with one of the sexiest people I'd ever seen igniting my desire further. 

Lea's fingers clenched my shirt, and I dragged him through the dark apartment to the bedroom. I crashed into the sheets, his fevered lips on my skin. 

He tugged at my shirt, the fabric becoming damp from perspiration. "May I?" 

"Please..." 

Two layers later, were we both stripped down, sweaty back on my sheets, skin-on-skin as his hands slid over me. 

His hot, wet tongue caressed the skin on my neck. 

"Mind if I take a little bite, baby?" He purred. 

The answer was breathy. "Go ahead." 

Lea growled in satisfaction, sinking his teeth into my skin. He bit me harder than I had expected, and I could feel a warm, sticky stream trailing down my neck. He distracted me from the pain as his hand slipped down... 

"Lea..." I gasped, arching into him. 

His green eyes glittered in the darkness, my lips parted to utter his name. I liked the way his name sounded as it came rolling off my tongue in desperation. 

I didn't want to stop screaming it, even when the last time it escaped as a hoarse cry. 

"Lea..." 

"Hey, what time is it?" 

The shades were drawn, which meant I'd have to check my phone. 

Brain still fogged, I fumbled for my phone on the nightstand. It took me a few seconds of exposure to the sun-like screen for my brain and eyes to connect the time. "4:26." 

"Shit, I gotta go; but I had such a good time last night," Lea murmured, throwing off the covers. 

"So early...? Stay, I'll make you breakfast..." I begged quietly. 

"I'm sorry, baby, I gotta get ready for work." Shuffling as Lea slipped on his jeans and t-shirt from the previous night. "I work the night shift at the hospital." 

Stubbornly, I came up with a compromise. "At least give me your number so I can call you up again..." 

Lea chuckled. "Again? You really enjoyed last night?" 

Though it's early, I still felt a bit hurt by Lea's nonchalance. "Yeah...didn't you?" 

"'Course I did, baby," Lea assured. "Here, give me your phone." 

I pressed my thumb to the home button, giving him access to every secret I hold in the device. 

"Who's this in the background?" Lea wondered, his deft fingers tapping lightly against the screen. 

"Terra, Aqua, and Naminé, my best friends from college," I answered. He handed me back my phone, which I let slip through my fingers and thud against the carpet. 

"Goodbye, Isa. May we meet again someday - or rather, some night." Lea decided. 

I agreed with a sleepy mumble. I secretly waited for him to kiss me on the forehead, but his footsteps disappeared behind the sound of a door closing. 

How stupid of me... 

I finish waking at a more suitable time, when the sun is actually visible. Yawning, I stumble into the bathroom. Luckily, the hangover isn't too bad today. 

Flicking on the lights and meeting my reflection in the mirror, my eyes drift over to the evidence of our encounter. Among normal-looking hickeys, there's the place where he bit me. There's still blood, but it's caked on at this point, and the puncture wounds are bruising. 

I lightly brush my fingertips over it, pressing softly until the ache comes - it happens almost immediately. 

"Fuck," I seethe, deciding not to touch it again anytime soon. I turn the faucet on, wetting a paper towel and bringing it to the bite marks, softly wiping away the caked-on blood. 

Having not bothered to put my clothes back on, I examine the other hickeys in the stranger places: one beneath my navel, another on my inner thigh. The memory of the night warms me, though I realize now Lea's body had been kind of cold... 

Dismissing the thought, I run the shower and step in. Shaking my hair under the shower head, I watch the water drip off the long, blue strands. I take the soap and wash away the remnants of the night. 

After my shower, I slip on a clean pair of boxers and a new shirt, deciding I can wear last night's jeans just one more time before it was wash time. 

Turning to the kitchen now, I rip open the fridge and reach for the day-old pizza box. Munching on cold pepperoni, I scroll through my recent notifications. I note that there's nothing from Lea, but there is a message from Terra. 

**Wanna grab lunch today at Kenny's? Naminé and Aqua are coming, too. **

I answer him:  **Sure, what time? **

The gray "pending" bubble appears almost instantaneously. 

**12:30 sound good? **

**Yeah, see you soon. **

I glance at the time on the top of my screen: 11:58, and Kenny's Diner is almost a half hour drive from my apartment. 

"SHIT!" I jump to my feet and scramble out my door. 

Terra, Aqua, and Naminé are waiting for me when I arrive. 

Aqua is the first to notice the marks on my skin. "Damn, you're all chewed up. You look like a fairy used you as a punching bag..." 

"Yeah, sorry about that," I take my seat across from Naminé, "I had a bit of a crazy night..." 

Naminé catches my drift the second I finish my sentence. "Who was he? I demand all the details right now!" 

The three of them lean closer like teenagers begging for gossip; I don't hesitate around them. "Well, his name was Lea, and he was very sexy..." 

The waiter comes and asks us if we're ready to order. I'm craving a little more meat than just cold pepperoni, so I order a burger and fries. 

Terra interrupts me just before I can continue my recollection of the one-night stand. "What's this?" His fingers trace the puncture wounds on my neck. 

"Careful, it hurts!" I recoil from him. 

Terra settles into his seat. "Sorry...it looks like a bite mark." 

"Oh yeah," I recall casually, "he bit me during foreplay." 

"Kinky," Aqua mumbles, sipping her iced tea. 

"That's a deep bite mark..." Naminé observes. 

"Even kinkier," Aqua adds. 

"What if he's a vampire?" Terra suggests. 

A brief note on Terra: Terra believes in all the spooky mumbo-jumbo: ghosts, specters, vampires, werewolves - if it doesn't exist, he believes it does. There's no way he didn't suggest that as a mere joke. 

"He's not a vampire." I assure him. "Anyway, he left at like four in the morning, said he had to work the night shift at the hospital." 

Terra's eyes widen as if I'm telling him Santa isn't real. "He woke up before the sun came up? He works the graveyard shift?" 

"Terra, he's not a vampire!" It comes out a little too loudly. Terra sinks into his seat. 

"I mean, Terra does have a point..." Naminé pipes up. "Today is the Summer Solstice, and things might be a little more restless..." 

By "things", Naminé also meant spirits. Naminé's a practicing Wiccan, has been for at least three years. According to Wiccan belief, the Summer Solstice is a holiday. 

"Okay, but if it's the Summer Solstice, doesn't that mean vampires won't really be out because they can't be in the sun and it doesn't get dark till really late?" Terra mentions. 

I scoff. "Vampires won't be out because they're not real. Anyway, back to the real world: anything new with you guys?" 

"Since the past twenty-four hours? Not with Aqua and me," Terra shrugs. 

"Naminé?" I offer. 

A sly smile appears on her face, and her cheeks turn pink. "Okay, so...this girl on Instagram commented on one of my witch posts, and we started talking in the comments, then it went to the DMs...and then it went to Snapchat...and it turns out she lives really close by and she's also into girls..." 

I drop her a skeptical glance. "How do you know she isn't some weirdo who's trying to kidnap you? That's more plausible than me banging a vampire." 

"Her posts are that of a girl in her early 20's who likes indie bands and goth stuff." Naminé pulls up the girl's Instagram and scrolls through the first few pictures. None of them are of the girl’s face.

"Did she send any face pics?" Aqua asks. 

"Yeah, but..." Naminé's face suddenly drops. 

"What?" I press. 

"She sent a few, and I know she was cute but...I can't remember what she looks like now..." Naminé wrinkles her brow and stares pensively at her chicken strips. 

"Did you save any of the pictures?" Terra points a fry at Naminé thoughtfully. 

"No, I forgot to, and she sent them on Snapchat so they're gone now." Naminé answers. "I can't even remember her hair or eye color..." 

"That's weird, and you have a crazy photographic memory..." I point out. 

"Yeah...oh well..." Naminé says, a hint of sadness in her voice. "I guess if I ever meet up with her, I'll remember what she looks like, then." 

"If you meet her, I'm coming with you," I decide, "you know, just in case she really is some creep." 

Terra beams at my initiative, adding, "I'll come too! We can both take him, right, Isa?" 

"Okay," I tease, "maybe you and Ven together can take him." 

I glance at my friends around the table. "Hey, where is Ven?" 

Aqua's hands fly to her mouth. "Shit, we forgot to tell you..." 

Terra and Naminé shift in their seats, looking away. 

"Is something wrong with Ven?" I ask softly. 

Aqua shakes her head. "Not Ven, his brother, Roxas." 

I briefly recall Roxas, almost a mirror-image to Ven, just slightly younger and still boyish-looking. 

"What happened to him?" I demand firmly. 

"Ven called Terra this morning," Aqua explains, "Roxas went missing two days ago and hasn't been home." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a re-cast of Warning Signs with almost all the characters having changed. Thank you for supporting my work!


	2. am i afraid of jesus

"I can't believe you just forgot to tell me our friend's brother is missing," I repeat, this having been the third time I've been in disbelief. 

"Look, we didn't even know until recently. I knew I was forgetting something." There's an edge in Aqua's voice, and I know she's just as worried as I am. It probably doesn't help that she's the one driving us to the police station. 

"Yeah, and his birthday was like just last week," Naminé adds. She's got her phone in her lap, her fingers tapping the dark screen as if willing a text message to pull through. 

Terra's fidgeting in his seat, drumming his fingers against his leg and staring anxiously out the window. His reflection in the window bounces back the worried look on his face. 

Terra has known Roxas and Ven for as long as he can remember. Sometimes he thought of Roxas like a half- brother, and now that half has been torn away from him just as much as Ven. 

Aqua pulls into the parking lot, sidling right up to Ven's car. We clamber out, finding Ven at the front desk holding a stack of papers. 

"Guys," Ven greets us, and Terra is the first to embrace him. Aqua and Naminé follow, with me last. 

"How's everything going?" I ask. 

Ven shakes his head. "They think I should wait another day before filing a missing persons report." 

Aqua slips one of the papers out of his hands: it's a picture of Roxas at his graduation, his family circled around him beaming as they display the milestone in their child's life. There's a red circle around his face, like a halo, signifying he's the one they're looking for. The contact information is neatly typed below it. 

"When was the last time you saw him?" Naminé offers. 

"He was going out with his friends, I don't know..." Ven waves the papers around, distracted. "I trust him, I trust his friends, but he hasn't been home since, and he hasn't texted or called..." 

He plops down in a chair, hanging his head. "I feel like I've failed being a brother..." 

I take the seat next to Ven, placing my hand on his back. "Hey, it's only been two days, he's probably fine. Maybe his phone is dead." 

Ven seems to find hope in that idea. "He never did bring his charger with him..." 

"Does," I correct him, "Roxas is gonna be fine." 

Ven gives me a glance that reads, Have you met Roxas, but I know it's just his attempt at shaving off the stress. 

Terra holds out his hand to Ven. "We'll help you put these up around town, then we'll buy you some ice cream." 

Ven responds with a halfhearted smile. "Thanks, guys." 

The stack of papers is dispersed throughout town by five. We're sitting around Ven's kitchen just before six, unwrapping our sea salt ice cream bars. 

Ven, like the heathen he is, chomps down on his ice cream without flinching. 

My eyes are drawn to the crucifix he wears around his neck: a little gold cross. Somehow I didn't notice it before, even when Ven was petting it nervously while we drove around town, but now it's almost glowing, screaming at me. I can hear it, I can feel its gaze piercing my skin. I'm squirming in my seat. 

I've never been overly religious - my mom stopped taking me to church when I was a teenager - and as I grew older, I kind of fell out of my faith, but something about that gold piece is driving me crazy. I'm not even sure what I'm feeling, or what I would do if he let me touch it. 

He notices me getting uncomfortable, and asks me if something is wrong. I dismiss the thought, but I keep staring at his necklace. It's like it's taunting me now, egging me to scream back. 

"Isa? You good, buddy?" Terra taps my shoulder. 

"Hey, Ven?" I ask, eyes still locked on the crucifix. 

He raises an eyebrow at me. "Yeah?" 

"Look...I'm all for you expressing your religion freely and all that but...can you, like, take off your crucifix? It's...really bothering me for some reason." 

He draws the ice cream bar out of his mouth and says, "Uh...I don't know..." He pinches it between his fingers and drops it down his shirt, hiding the tiny figure. "Is that better...?" 

The instant it's covered by his shirt, the feeling vanishes. "Yeah, thanks." 

Aqua finishes off her ice cream and tosses the stick directly into the trash. It bounces off the rim and falls into the pitch black of the bag. "SCORE!" 

"My turn," Terra wipes the rest of the ice cream off his stick from between his lips and flings the stick toward the can. It hits the rim and clatters onto the floor. "Dang it" 

"Don't you ever swear?" I chuckle. "Even Ven swears sometimes, and he's the Catholic one." 

"Sometimes God meant for things to be casually damned." Ven shrugs. 

Terra scrunches his face at me like a stubborn kid; sometimes it's hard to believe he's twenty-four and has his own apartment with Aqua. "I can swear if I want to." 

"Oh yeah? Do it." I challenge. "Say 'fuck'." 

Terra's lips part, his cheeks flush, he looks like someone having the sex talk with his parents. 

"Well?" Aqua presses. 

"I'm scared..." he admits sheepishly. 

"What, doesn't he dirty talk you in bed?" Naminé teases. 

Aqua smirks. "Does he look like he dirty talks?" 

Something slips out of Terra's mouth. 

I flash him a crooked grin. "What's that? I didn't hear you." 

Terra bursts like a balloon with too much air in it. "I said 'fuck', okay? Shit, do you have to be so goddamn pushy?" 

The four of us stare at him in disbelief before breaking into endless laughter. 

"He's a cuss virgin no longer!" Naminé announces. 

Terra turns his flushed face away. 

"I expect to hear that kind of language tonight, mister," Aqua pushes his shoulder lightly, only forcing Terra deeper into the solitude of his hands. 

"Speaking of dirty talk," Naminé segues, "has Lea texted you since last night?" 

My heart drops a little at the mention. "No..." 

The reasoning hits me: I didn't give Lea my number. 

"Shit, I was supposed to text him first because he gave me his number!" I whip my phone out, scrolling through my contacts until I find "Lea". 

I hesitate. "Should I text him now? It hasn't even been twenty-four hours, he might think I'm desperate." 

"Text him now!" Naminé demands, slamming her fists on the table. 

Her words become an addictive chant to the rest of the table members. "TEXT HIM NOW, TEXT HIM NOW!" 

"Fine, just stop chanting! This isn't a Satanic ritual." I tap on his name. 

**Hey, this is Isa **

**Sorry I didn't text you sooner, I forgot **

I set my phone on the table like it's a live bomb, impatient for him to text back. "Maybe he's at work." 

"Maybe." Aqua echoes. 

Ven traces the table with his bare ice cream stick. The word "Winner" is carved into it. 

"Hey, you got a prize stick." I point out. 

He lets out a soft snort. "I don't feel like a winner..." He lifts his head to look at us. "Thanks for helping me put up those posters." 

"It's gonna be okay, Ven," Naminé assures, "you'll hear from Roxas soon." 

My phone buzzes, the four of us twitch in alarm. I snatch it from the table, and my eyes can barely focus on the notification: 

**New text from unknown recipient **

Dammit. Defeated, I set my phone down. "It's not him, probably just a wrong number. Maybe he set me up..." 

I unlock my phone, the soft click sending my heart into rising panic. I read the message: 

**If you want any information about the boy, contact me immediately. **

They must recognize the confused grimace on my face, Ven shakes my shoulder. "What? Who is it?" 

"I think it's about Roxas." I read the text aloud. 

Ven rises to his feet, but Naminé coaxes him back down. "Careful, it could be a trap." 

"Why would someone contact Isa when it's your number that's written on the poster?" Terra notes. 

"I don't know, but it's better than nothing." Ven's decision is my cue. He turns to me. "Please, answer him." 

I shoot a text back. 

**Tell me who you are first. **

The gray "pending" bubble pops up, blooming into a full text in seconds:  **I am no more than a useful source. Just know that Roxas is safe, for now. **

**At least tell me your name. **

**My name is of no importance. You must hurry if you wish to see Roxas back safely. Meet me at Kenny's at midnight, I'll be there with him. Please don't ask him any questions, I've asked him to keep his disappearance a secret. **

I hold my phone to Ven's eyes. "What do you think?" 

Ven studies the words carefully. "I've never heard anyone text like this...but it is my only chance at a lead." 

"We'll go with you, to back you up." I assure him. 

Ven rises to his feet. "If this is a trap...I'm going to be...I'm..." 

"We'll bust their heads in," Aqua finishes, pounding her fist against her flat hand. 

Ven tosses his winner stick aside. "Then let's go get my brother." 

Driving in the dark isn't Aqua's forte, but she's never been in an accident (knock on wood). 

She pulls into the parking lot of Kenny's, twisting the key out of ignition. The parking lot is silent, even the street isn't too busy. 

We circle the building - Kenny's closes at one, so the lights are still on - but, hiding in a spot where the light barely scrapes the pavement, are two figures in dark clothes. One looks like it's huddled over, being held up by the other, smaller figure. 

"Roxas?" Ven calls out softly. 

The huddled figure stumbles into the light, falling into Ven's arms. Roxas looks fine, save for his disheveled hair, wrinkled clothes, a greenish bruise on his left arm, and two red marks on his neck. 

"Roxas!" The rest of us echo in excitement. 

I turn back to the darkness. "Hey, who's there?" 

But the figure has vanished during our reunion. 

"Roxas, are you okay? Say something to me, anything! Please!" Ven jostles his brother, whose head lolls as if he's slightly unconscious. 

"Come on, get him into the diner and get him some water." Aqua suggests hurriedly. 

We help Roxas to his uncoordinated feet, ushering him inside. Plopping him down in the booth where four of us had eaten that noon, I call a waiter over to bring us a glass of water. 

His eyes flutter within minutes, his consciousness returning. 

"Ven...?" He croaks, blinking in the harsh diner light. 

"Yeah, it's me," Ven coaxes, "I'm here, it's okay now." 

"How...how did I get here...?" Roxas blinks again, squinting as his eyes adjust. 

"You..." Ven suddenly goes blank, as if he can't remember how we ended up here, either. 

I scan my friends' faces, and I'm sure I'm mirroring them: none of us know how Roxas got here. The last thing we remember was him stumbling into the thin shred of light coming from the diner. 

"You were just...standing in the darkness by yourself, and you kind of stumbled forward..." Ven says, unsure of himself. "But your eyes were closed, like you were sleepwalking." 

Roxas grimaces, then takes the water and puts the glass to his lips. 

After a minute of silence as he gulped it down, he says, "I'm hungry." 

"What do you want?" Ven asks, rubbing his brother's back softly. 

"Meat," Roxas answers, "anything, just medium rare..." 

"I'll go order," Naminé offers, leaving the table. 

"Want some garlic fries? I know they're your favorite." The thought is tempting; we could probably all use something to eat. 

Roxas shrugs. "Sure." 

Ven turns his head in Naminé's direction and orders garlic fries. 

"Do you remember anything from the past few days?" Terra asks. 

Roxas shakes his head. "Not a lot. I wasn't even high or drunk for most of it, I don't think. I just remember going to some party with Zexion's college friends, and a lot of waking up at the wrong time. I think Zexion told me I fucked up my own sleep schedule and started sleeping during the day. When I woke up, it was too late to call you...I'm sorry..." 

Ven throws his arms around Roxas. "No, it's okay, I should've been awake...at least you were with Zexion." 

"There were...others..." Roxas continues, "people I don't remember now." 

"Did they hurt you? What's this bruise?" Ven pokes it, and Roxas withdraws. 

"The one time I was awake, Zexion told me I bumped into something trying to go to the bathroom." He recounts. 

"What about...those?" Terra points to the red marks on his neck. In this lighting, I realize they look like mine, and I trace mine in a gesture of solidarity. Maybe Lea had been at that party and taken a nip at him, too, which sickens me due to Roxas’s age. 

I scold myself for the pang of jealousy. It could've been anyone...anyone... 

Roxas touches his neck. "I don't know...I can't remember..." 

Naminé returns with the waiter, bringing a basket of garlic fries and a plate with a steaming burger on it. Watery pink juice drips from the patty onto the plate. He refills Roxas's glass. 

"Enjoy your meal." He says, turning on his heel. 

Roxas thanks him weakly, then turns to his food. He attacks the burger like he hasn't eaten in days - and maybe he hasn't. 

Ven seems to speak my thoughts. "Did you get anything to eat?" 

Roxas shrugs again, devouring his meal until it's gone. He reaches for the fries, ingesting a few before... 

"I'm gonna puke..." 

He pushes past Aqua and Terra, stumbling to the bathroom. 

"I should've told him to slow down," Ven sighs. "I'll order another burger; just make sure he eats his fries and drinks his water." 

Roxas returns, slumping into the booth. He gulps down the glass of water again before returning to the fries. He's barely eaten enough to empty the basket before he pushes past Aqua and Terra again, back to the bathroom. 

When he returns this time, he just mutters, "What the fuck? I've eaten these before and never thrown up..." 

Ven brings back the second burger and refills the glass. "Did you throw up again?" 

"Yeah..." Roxas admits, emptying the glass a third time. 

"Maybe it was the burger?" Ven says. "This one is medium well." 

"No, I threw up again immediately after eating the fries." Roxas explains. He reaches for a fry, turning one in his fingers. Almost instantly, a painful-looking rash starts developing on his fingertips. He drops the fry as if it's still hot from the fryer. 

"I'm gonna talk to the fry cook, I'll be back," Ven says. 

"Go easy on him, it's midnight." I suggest. 

Roxas devours the second burger much slower, and he doesn't look as sated as before. 

"Shit...what if you're a vampire, too?" Terra says. 

Aqua smacks Terra's arm. "Roxas isn't a vampire." 

Terra's eyes widen. "Really? He throws up and gets a rash from these garlic fries that he's eaten before, he wants medium rare meat, he has the same bite marks as Isa...what do you think could be an explanation for any of this?" 

"It's not vampires, that's for sure." I cross my arms. 

Ven finds his seat back at the table. "The fry cook apologized for your food." 

Defeated, Roxas says, "I wanna go home." 

"I'll take the tab," I offer. Ven goes to stop me, but I've already slapped the money down on the counter and thanked the waiter. 

We exit the diner, piling into Aqua's car. I think about what Terra said about vampires, much to my own chagrin. 

Vampires aren't real. I snort at the single thought of even believing for a moment. 

Even though it's summer, a shiver chills my spine.


	3. how bad is it to stay up late

When I return home, a text from Lea has finally pushed through. The time is 2:19 AM. 

Heart beating like a giddy school kid, I unlock my phone and read it: 

**Sorry I didn't see this till now, work is a bitch lol **

I send back a nonchalant  **Yeah lol** , complete with a cry-laugh emoji face to indicate friendliness. Or something.  **So what's up? **

He responds:  **Just settling in to watch some Netflix. You? **

I answer:  **Same probs **

I decide to let myself go and ramble a bit to him.  **Some crazy stuff today, my friend's brother had been missing for like two days and he just showed up. **

**Some random number texted me to meet them at Kenny's diner at midnight -- **

Lea's response comes through before I can respond.  **What the fuck? Is he okay now?**

I send the previous text and continue:  **That's the thing: he was just waiting by the diner by himself, eyes closed like he sleepwalked there. He doesn't remember a thing. Did he ever end up at the hospital where you work? **

**What's the kid's name?** Lea asks. 

**Roxas **

The pending bubble appears and disappears a few times. I wonder what Lea is saying - or not saying, for that matter... 

He chooses his reply:  **Never heard of him **

Something tells me Lea's letting on less than he knows, but I don't press. 

**So what show are you watching **

His message arrives much more eagerly than the last:  **Stranger Things season 2. You? **

My face reddens, and I make clear my embarrassment by sending an appropriate emoji.  **I've never seen Stranger Things I'm not exactly caught up with the hype **

**You HAVE to watch Stranger Things it's so fucking good **

I smirk to myself a bit.  **Really? **

**Yeah, it really makes you think about what kinda things are being hidden in our town with all the crazy shit that happens in theirs **

I huff softly from my nose.  **You sound like my friend Terra **

**Oh yeah, the one on your lockscreen? **

**Yeah he's really into all that conspiracy type crap **

I add:  **And supernatural stuff. He's such a baby about it though, it's kinda funny that he can't even do his own research without getting the shit scared out of him**

Lea reciprocates with a cry-laugh emoji. 

**But I love him anyway **

I realize I said I'd loved Terra (which I'll have to admit I harbored a tiny crush on him before he started dating Aqua). 

**Platonically I mean **

I hope I didn't ruin my chances. 

**I figured.** Lea says. 

**Okay I guess I'll start watching Stranger Things tonight **

**Live text me the entire thing I wanna know your reactions **

**Okay **

I turn my phone off and switch my TV on, clicking to Netflix and opening up Stranger Things. 

My reaction texts range from selections from my "recently used" emoji menu to keyboard spams. I can't help that I'm glued to every detail of the plot. Also Winona Ryder has been one of my favorite actresses since Heathers, courtesy of Nami. 

By the time the sun has come up, I've finished season one. Lea wishes me goodnight (though it's clearly morning) and goes offline. 

I glance out the window. I expect to be tired, but I'm not. My eyes don't feel like they've been stretched and kept open, nor do I have a headache. 

Despite not feeling tired, I do need sleep. I let myself crash on the couch. 

I wake again at about three PM, which is definitely not gonna help me during work tomorrow. 

I check my texts. 

New message from Ven 

I open it up. 

**Hey, remember how you asked me to put away my Crucifix yesterday? Rox got really agitated in church today, the same way you were **

He can't see my raised eyebrow, nor can he feel my pounding heart.  **Really? **

**Yeah, he even had to get up and leave at one point. He was shaking and muttering. When I asked him about it, he just said something like "Don't worry about it" **

**Weird... **

**Yeah. Then I tried giving him the rosary Mom gave him and he just backed away and told me to keep it **

I think about what Lea said last night about things going on right under our noses. Maybe he's right, but I'd believe in some government-issued virus that made people fear monotheistic religions before I'd believe vampires. Somehow I think of Scientology. 

**Other than that has he reacted to any food he's eaten? **

**No, I made sure he ate slowly **

**Have you tried feeling him garlic again? **

**I'm a little afraid to. You really think it's garlic that made him throw up? **

**Not necessarily...but I guess it's worth a shot even to just rub a clove of garlic on his skin and see if it does anything **

Ven hesitates before responding:  **Yeah, I guess you're right. I'll see if he's up for it **

I turn off my phone, glancing around my living room. The TV is still on, which I might return to once I've eaten something. 

I go to the fridge, scanning each shelf. While nothing looks particularly appetizing, my eye catches a bulb of untouched garlic in the corner. 

Wary, I reach for it, my fingers barely brushing before I recoil from fright at first. I examine my fingers, which aren't hurt. I gently grab the bulb in my fingertips, turning it around. Nothing. 

I laugh at my own foolishness and reach for the pizza box. I shake it; it's empty. Disappointed, I toss it in the trash and it hits the side. Guess I'll just order something else. 

Maybe I should've asked if Lea was awake, if he wanted to go on a date. Would he even want to? It's literally only been two days, and I wouldn't even call him a friend yet. 

As if reading my mind, a text comes through: it's from Terra. 

**Wanna grab dinner? Kenny's? **

**Sure, I hope the owner isn't too mad about last night haha **

**I'm sure he can't turn down his best customers (wink face) **

**Meet you there **

Terra and I grab our own booth at Kenny's, a different one than where Roxas was shivering and puking. 

At the sight of me, his jaw drops. "Whoa, what the heck happened to you? You have some wicked dark circles." 

I guess I hadn't thought to look in a mirror, and my fingertips brush the skin under my eyes. "Lea texted me at like 2 in the morning and told me to watch Stranger Things, and I got hooked." 

"Hey! You wouldn't even watch Stranger Things when I told you to watch it!" I know he's not really upset, but I can't help but detect a slight hint of betrayal in his voice. 

"I know, I just thought it was for conspiracy and sci-fi nerds like you," I tease, wagging a fry at him. 

Terra shakes his head in surrender. "Okay, okay, you got me. But I did mention Winona Ryder was in it and you didn't seem to bat an eye." 

I remember briefly why I'd had a crush on him; he's cute in a really dorky way. "Anyway...apparently Roxas got really agitated in church." 

Terra purses his lips. "Yeah, Ven told me." 

"What do you think it is? Logically, I mean." I chew contemplatively on my chicken wings. 

"I dunno," he shrugs, "I don't have any explanation from the real world." 

After letting the thought settle on my tongue, I give in. "Alright humor me: what is it from the 'other' world?" 

He lists them off effortlessly. "Demons, vampires, other creatures of the night...could be anything." 

"Mm." 

I suspect Roxas's experience in church is connected to my fear of Ven's crucifix, but I can't align them completely. Here we have Roxas juxtaposed to me, someone raised religiously versus someone who fell out of piety as a teen. Of course Roxas was no saint, but he never opposed church. 

"Maybe that's what got him." 

Terra glances at me. "What?" 

I can't believe I'm about to say it, but the idea seems to roll off my tongue. "Okay, so...suppose all this supernatural stuff is real. I figured, if you're raised as piously as Roxas and Ven, you're safe from demons, right? So how do demons pick who they're going to possess? I mean, shouldn't Roxas have been safe?" 

Terra juggles the air in front of him. "Ehh...it's not that simple. I didn't say it was demons, either. Could be vampires. I'm seriously leaning toward vampires because of the whole garlic thing." 

"I'll admit, since Roxas was just as afraid of the cross as I was, I've been a little scared of eating garlic." I laugh. 

He laughs back. "Maybe it'll work to your advantage if you see Lea again anytime soon. Don't wanna stink up the encounter." 

By the time we parted from the diner, the sky is just becoming dark. I secretly hope Lea doesn't work on Sundays, but somehow I lean toward the opposite. 

Luckily my first shift doesn't start until eleven AM, but I can't let myself get too swept up into Stranger Things if I don't want to serve people the wrong lattes. 

Hopping into my car, I scroll through the radio stations until one happens to catch my attention: Strange outbursts of many churchgoers since the past week, reactions have ranged between agitated pacing, wailing, and even attempts to attack holy items. Reasoning behind these reactions is unclear at this point. Reactions have come from churchgoers of all ages. 

My stomach turns uneasily, and I change the radio station. 

Several missing persons cases have popped up recently, victims of all ages disappearing. 

Is there anything good on? I settle for a Top 40 station and force myself into potential ear-worm territory for the rest of the drive home. 

I return home with some new Taylor Swift song jammed into my head, shutting the door behind me and sighing as I look around at my empty apartment. 

The last real relationship I'd had was with a guy named Squall. I'm not sure what's become of him now - part of me wonders if he's fallen victim to the plague of fearful churchgoers or missing persons - but it's been at least a year since he slept in my bed and touched my face. 

I miss it. My brief encounter with Lea had reminded me of the reasons I enjoyed being in love, releasing some hapless romantic hoping the one-night stand had come with a few strings. 

I pull the strings, taking out my phone and opening up my conversation with Lea. 

**Hey, what's up? **

Waiting for his response, I ready myself for bed. Around eleven PM, his text arrives. 

**Nothing much, u? **

**Just getting ready for bed, but I'm not tired. I took a nap and woke up at like 3 pm **

I crash into my bed, reclining. I give the strings another tug. 

**Been thinkin about you... **

Lea pulls the strings back.  **Whatcha been thinkin bout me? (suggestive face) **

Biting my lip, my eager fingers type the reply. ** About Friday night **

The mental mention makes his bite marks on my neck ache. I reach to touch them, my stomach turning from the memory of how they came to be. The marks have changed color, fading in the same way as the hickeys. 

**You miss me that much already, baby? (winking face) **

I softly groan my typed answer.  **Yes **

**Want me to come over? Help you get some sleep? (suggestive face) **

I can hardly believe my luck.  **Please... **

**I'll be over soon baby. In the meantime, will you send me a few pics? **

**What do you wanna see? **

**Anything, baby **

Lea arrives at midnight, keeps me up until three AM, and leaves before the sun rises. The only perceptible traces of his existence in my room are his smell on my sheets and fresh hickeys on my skin. 

This time, I don't fall back asleep. Instead, I watch his figure disappear in the waning darkness, listen to the front door shutting behind him, and curse myself for having said yes. I wish I had the courage to tell him to stay. 


	4. where to buy spf 500 sunscreen

My week progresses as if any of the strange happenstances that had occurred over the weekend hadn’t. 

Somewhere between an iced cappuccino and some novelty frappé, I had an epiphany that should’ve been obvious earlier: I had to keep texting Lea casually if I wanted anything more. Two nights together over the weekend hadn’t been enough for me. 

From what I’d learned from our texts (which Lea responded to at his own convenience), Lea works Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays from eight PM to around five in the morning. What he did Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, I hadn’t figured out yet; all I knew was that his sleep schedule remained the same. I happen to work every weekday from noon to seven. 

Finding a window where our schedules didn’t clash, I shoot him a text.  **Hey are you free this Friday at eight?**

I’m lucky that Lea is online and his response arrives within seconds.  **Yeah. Why? Got plans? (wink face)**

**I was just wondering if you wanted to grab dinner someplace? Like as in a date**

**Sure thing baby. Where you taking me? **

**There’s this great place down the street from me, it’s called The Station. **

**Oh I’ve seen that place; it used to be a functioning train station, right?**

**Yeah, it’s really nice. I’ve been there once before with --**

I erase the second part of my message, almost revealing I’d been there with Terra on what had been half a date. Of course, I was the only one who had thought of it as a date then.

**You gonna meet me there or pick me up? **

**Can I meet you there?**

**Perfect. I’ll see you then, baby. Dress cute (wink face)**

**See you soon **

I let out a puff of air between my lips and sink into my couch. He’s called me “baby” in several of our exchanges, whether that’s just something he likes to do or that it’s partial to only me remains a mystery. Whatever the case, I’m giddy as a teenager. 

Come Friday morning, I receive a stack of text notifications. The first is from Terra. 

**Hey, Aqua, Nami, Ven, Rox, and I are going to the beach for Fourth of July weekend, you wanna come? You can bring Lea, too since Nami is bringing Xion**

Having a group of friends who care about me is a nice feeling, so much it makes me smile to myself.  **Sure, I’ll let him know **

The second text is from Ven. 

**I did what you suggested and rubbed a little bit of garlic powder on his forearm. He broke out in hives instantly, it was awful. I felt so bad. He’s never been allergic to garlic, it’s so weird. Family gatherings are gonna be a lot harder; have you ever had an Italian dish without garlic??**

My smile turns to pursed lips as I carefully choose my response.  **Man, I’m sorry. But now you know to stay away from it.**

The third in the stack is from Lea. 

**Looking forward to seeing you tonight (wink face)**

**Me too (wink face)**

Turning off my phone, I roll out of bed and get ready for work.

In record time I clock out and head home, arriving back at my apartment at 7:29. I change into the nicest set of clothes I have (which isn’t saying much) and check my phone: nothing from Lea, and I’m running a few minutes behind. 

Hopping into the car, I switch on the radio. 

_ Doctors claim an outbreak of garlic allergies have surfaced in the recent. Our sources are checking for any garlic recalls from grocery stores, only to have found nothing.  _

Roxas briefly flashes in my mind, and I make a secret pact with myself not to order anything with garlic in it. 

Lea is outside The Station waiting for me, dressed in slick black pants and a crisp red button-up shirt. It just nearly matches his wild hair. 

I park and shut the car door, trying not to seem too eager to see him. 

“Hey, you look great.” The words seem dumb the moment they leave my mouth. 

Lea smirks at me. “Lookin’ pretty good yourself, baby. Shall we?” 

He offers me his arm, escorting me inside. 

The place isn’t too crowded, we’re given a table within minutes of arrival. I realize this is truly the first time I’ve had to make idle conversation with Lea. 

I attempt. “So, what’s your job like?” 

Lea shrugs. “Sleepy, I guess. Not too many exciting things happen between midnight and five am, as unbelievable as that may seem.”

“Don’t you ever get tired?” I find it harder to believe Lea doesn’t inject caffeine directly into his veins. 

He chuckles almost sheepishly. “It was a little hard at first, but then I guess you could say I got into a bit of a routine. I can’t imagine trying to pick up another job besides this with my fucked-up sleep schedule.”

A waitress comes by to take our orders. I order some kind of steak with mashed potatoes, and Lea orders the same but medium rare.

“Hold on, do the potatoes have garlic in them?” Lea asks.

The waitress responds, “No, just butter and salt.”

“Perfect. Thanks, sweetheart.” Lea hands over his menu, and I feel a twinge of jealousy as the waitress blushes at his compliment. “Oh, will you add a bottle of wine to the order? Chilled, please.”

“Of course. Your food will be out in a moment.” She turns on her heel to the kitchen.

I recall the report from the radio. “Have you heard about all the sudden garlic allergies popping up? I told you my friend’s brother recently developed a garlic allergy.”

Lea stops sipping his water. He swallows thickly. “Y-yeah, a few patients have come in with new garlic allergies. Stuff like hives from chopping garlic, vomiting after ingesting it...I don’t know how they could’ve developed, though.”

I stare at him, eyebrows knit. “Are  _ you  _ allergic to garlic? You did ask if the potatoes had any…”

“Yeah, I’ve been allergic since I was a kid.” Lea answers casually.

I fall silent, the cogs in my brain turning. Somehow I know the garlic allergies and Roxas’s disappearance are connected, just not sure how. Terra’s voice echoes in my mind, something about vampires. I laugh aloud softly and sip my water.

“What, think of something funny?” Lea asks, a hint of nerves on his words. 

I swallow and set down my glass. “You believe in vampires, Lea?” 

Lea chuckles. “I guess. Where you going with this?”

“Nowhere yet,” I answer. 

The waitress returns, pushing a silver cart with two plates of steak and a wine bucket. She places the plates in front of us and hefts the wine bucket onto the table. “Thank you for waiting, enjoy your meal.”

“Enjoy your drink.” I respond without batting an eye.

She stops for a moment, raising an eyebrow. “Okay…” She pushes the cart away from our table.

Lea snorts. “You know what you just said, right?”

I glance at him skeptically. “No…?”

“You said ‘enjoy your drink’ after she said ‘enjoy your meal’.” He recalls.

My stomach collides with my intestines, and my face feels cold. “Oh my God…I did not, did I?”

Lea nods, a grin of pure satisfaction stretching across his face. “You did.”

I wipe my face with my hands. “Shit…” 

“Happens to the best of us,” Lea assures, “before I got a job at the hospital, I was working a waitstaff job and I told a patient ‘Enjoy your meal’ after handing him his prescription.”

Lea reaches over the table to the wine bottle, pushing the corkscrew into the cork and easing it out with a pop. He pours me a glass first, then pours his own. 

He toasts, “To answering staff with your own staff responses.”

“I’ll toast to that,” I agree, clinking glasses with him. 

The wine on Lea’s lips reminds me curiously of blood. 

“That’s smooth,” he muses, turning the glass in his hand. “Can’t wait until the Fourth of July to drink all day and not have to go to work.”

That triggers the memory of Terra’s texts. “Do you want to come join me and my friends at the beach for the Fourth of July?” 

Lea digests my offer with his potatoes. “I’m not much of a beach guy because I burn super easily, but I’ll tag along.”

I attempt a cheeky response. “Put on some sunscreen, I wanna see what you look like in a swimsuit.”

He shakes his head, amused. “You already know what I look like naked, why see me in a swimsuit?” 

He has a point. “I don’t know, I guess it’ll remind me vaguely of seeing you naked.”

“Don’t let your friends see your boner,” he teases.

“I won’t,” I promise him with a wink.

“By the way...that’s a wicked scar you’ve got slashed between your eyes. How’d you get it?” Lea wonders. “Pardon my intrusion…”

My fingers drift to my face where an x-shaped scar was stitched between my eyes. “Oh, this...don’t worry, it wasn’t from anything bad, really. When I was a kid, we used to live next to this old lady who had a really mean cat, and one day I went into the backyard when he was out and he attacked me.”

“Sounds pretty bad to me,” Lea chuckles. “But I think it makes you look sexy.”

I hope he can’t see the blush on my scar. 

Reluctantly, we part ways at eleven, just as the restaurant is preparing to close at midnight. Before I turn to leave, Lea signals me to come closer and pecks me briefly on the lips. 

“See ya soon, baby. Text me.” He flicks two fingers out in a farewell, and jogs to his car. 

I find myself blushing like a virgin as I turn away from the restaurant to my own car. 

The Fourth of July can’t come quick enough.

Several agonizing days since our date passes, finally allowing Earth to turn on the Fourth of July. 

I leap out of bed as if it’s Christmas, which it almost feels like. Christmas in July, my present under the tree being Lea underneath a palm tree. 

I shower and slip into my swim trunks, throwing a plain t-shirt over me. I grab a plastic baggie to keep my phone sand- and water-free and head out the door.

Terra’s decades-old van is waiting for me. Terra honks the horn and waves to me from the passenger-side window, consequently smushing Aqua against her seat. 

“Get in, loser, we’re going to the beach.” Naminé shouts out her window. 

I hop into the backseat, sidling up to Nami. On her other side is a girl I’ve never seen before. Her black hair is cut pageboy-style, her bangs just brushing dark blue eyes. She wears a plain black bikini over her olive skin, and a thin flower-patterned kimono cover-up draped over her shoulders. On top of that, she wears a necklace made from a stone I’ve also never seen before. It’s a stark difference from the crisp white sundress over a lavender bikini that Nami sports.

Nami adjusts her straw hat and scoots over. “Isa, this is Xion, my g -”

She shoots Xion a glance, as if silently asking permission to call her the g-word.

“I’m her girlfriend,” Xion finishes, “it’s nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you, too,” I exchange. I glance into the backseat, where Ven and Roxas are lounging. “You look a lot better, Roxas. How ya feel?” 

He seems a little uneasy, which means he hasn’t completely recovered. “I’m doing okay. I think the sunscreen Ven brought is expired, I walked outside and I’m already sunburned.”

“Everybody in?” Terra calls, and I buckle myself in. “We picking up Lea or what?”

“Oh, yeah, here’s the address.” I hand him a slip of paper. 

Xion seems to tense at the name “Lea”. Naminé reaches over to her lap and takes her hand. 

“What’s wrong?” I offer. 

“It’s nothing.” Xion decides. 

It doesn’t seem like “nothing” when we pull up at Lea’s apartment and he freezes on the spot as he’s entering the car, eyes locked with Xion’s. 

I’m the first to speak. “Do...you two know each other?” 

“You could say that,” Lea answers, sliding into the backseat without breaking her gaze. He drops a case of beer at his feet, and looks beside him. Roxas shifts his gaze away, as well. 

“Anyway, uh...to the beach!” Terra announces, driving off. 

Whoever came up with the rule “Driver gets first pick on music and any suggestions come clockwise” wasn’t one who fought over music choice. 

The stark differences in the music we enjoy resonates with the entire company of the vehicle as we pull up to the sand. 

Attempting to get some Hayley Kiyoko song out of my head (courtesy of Nami, also), I step foot on the soft sand. The sun’s rays hit my skin, and immediately I start to burn. 

I backpedal inside the van, blocking Nami and Xion’s exit. 

“Isa, what the fuck?” Nami protests, tripping and falling on her ass. 

“I burned so easily…” I mutter, examining the reddening skin. 

Nami snorts. “So? You’re pale, you always burn easily.” 

“No, this is different…” I object. 

Roxas sits up in his seat a little. “I don’t burn that easily and I got burned instantly.”

“Here.” Lea tosses me something: a tube of sunscreen SPF - 500? 

“What the hell? Is this a joke?” I pop the cap, supposing it won’t hurt to try it. The soft ointment soothes the preexisting burns. 

Lea only says, “I told you I burn easy.” 

I toss it to Roxas, letting him slather it over his entire body as well. I step back out into the sun, the sunscreen working instantly. “Nice. Thanks, babe.” 

Terra snickers like a middle-schooler. “You called him ‘babe’.” 

My stomach drops like I swallowed a bowling ball. “What, I can’t call my boyfriend ‘babe’?” 

“I’m your boyfriend now?” Lea’s voice appears right next to me. “I wasn’t aware we were dating.”

“Someone’s in trouble,” Aqua sing-songs teasingly. 

“I mean...if you  _ want _ …” I offer him. My cheeks feel hot, and I wonder if the sunscreen is already wearing off. 

“Hey, quit blocking the lot!” Someone shouts from their car. 

We inch away from the empty parking space as the car pulls up to it. Terra grabs the cooler and umbrella from the trunk, and Aqua grabs an overstuffed beach bag of towels. 

Roxas taps Terra’s shoulder. “You got the good shit?”

“Yep, two whole boxes of sea-salt ice cream sticks.” Terra pats the cooler proudly.

“So, what was that about wanting to be my boyfriend?” Lea nudges me, the case of beer knocking into my thigh. 

“Yeah, uh...do you wanna be my boyfriend?” I finish my thought.

Lea’s lips curl into a devious smirk. “Give me until the end of the day and I’ll think about it.”

Aqua spreads a towel onto the sand, sprawling over it herself to keep it from blowing away in the wind. Lea notices her struggle and plops the case of beer onto one of the corners. Terra jabs the umbrella into another corner and drops the cooler onto another. Ven locates a large rock and drops it onto the fourth corner. 

“Last one in the water is a rotten egg!” Lea shouts, breaking into a fierce run toward the ocean. 

“Hey!” I run after him, feet slapping against the sand, bursting into the chilly ocean. 

Several feet away from where the sea meets the sand, Naminé spreads out her own towel and sits down. Xion nestled next to her, she pulls out her sketchbook. 

Xion looks out into the ocean at Lea. 

“What’s up with you and Xion?” I ask. 

Lea glances at me, and I can almost see the gears in his brain turn as he searches for an answer. “I...knew her in high school. She was kinda shy, didn’t like going to parties and stuff.”

I knit my brows. “Is...that all? What about Roxas? He seemed to recognize you.”

“I told you I’ve never seen Roxas before in my life!” Lea insists a little too harshly. 

We stand there, face-to-face in knee-deep water. 

Lea sighs, shaking his head. “Look, I don’t know what you’re trying to say, but I’ve never met Roxas until now. Maybe he just got startled by how - weird - I look, or whatever. And Xion? I’m sure she’s never quite forgiven me for the party I dragged her to a few years ago.” 

I’m reluctant to ask. “What happened at the party…?” 

Lea shrugs and wags his head in the air. “Some guys...did some stuff to her…” 

My mind already comes up with the scenario. 

“Oh…”

Quickly, Lea assures me he didn’t take part in the “doing stuff”. “I apologized like a madman, but she never quite forgave me. I suppose she has a right not to.”

I stare at the waves lapping against our legs. Maybe I should’ve waited for a few more dates to ask Lea to be my boyfriend; I had asked before I knew the price. 

Lea’s hand brushes against my cheek. “I’d never do anything like that again. Do you trust me?”

“Yeah, I think so,” I admit. 

The sly smirk reappears. “You shouldn’t.” 

In a swift move, he drags the water up to my face, splashing me. 

“Hey!” I swipe the water back at him, and he jogs away as if he’s running through molasses. He trips, crashing into the waves. 

He deserves it a little. 

The red sunset burns across the sky, like the marks I’d received earlier that day. 

I sip my beer slowly, letting the taste settle on my tongue. 

“Hey, Xion?” Lea mumbles.

Her answer comes out more of a statement than a question. “What.”

“I really am sorry,” he says. “I swear I never meant for any of that stuff to happen.” 

Xion doesn’t speak, just turns away. 

“What happened…?” Naminé wonders. 

Lea quickly explains, and just as he finishes, Nami slaps him across the face. 

“I guess I deserved that,” he allows. “I truly am sorry; if I had known -”

“But you  _ did  _ know!” Xion suddenly bursts like a firework. “You knew  _ exactly  _ what was gonna happen, and you let it! And now I have to live with them because I can’t go back to my real home! Just...fuck off, Axel!” 

“Axel?” I mumble.

“It’s  _ Lea _ ,” Lea asserts, shifting on the towel almost menacingly. “And you have every right to be mad at Axel.” 

“Who’s Axel?” I ask. 

“Just a dumb nickname I used to go by,” Lea dismisses. 

“It’s more than that.” Xion shakes her head. “I’ll never get my old life back, thanks to  _ Axel _ .” 

She stands abruptly, storming off toward the car. 

“Xion, wait!” Before following her girlfriend, Naminé shoots Lea - or is it Axel? - a poisonous glare. 

I glance over at Terra and Aqua, who find sudden interest in their ice cream. I turn to Roxas, who stares into space and lets his ice cream melt into the sand. Ven is the only one who meets my gaze, and he only shrugs. 

“Hey, Lea?” I mumble. 

He doesn’t meet my eyes. “Yeah?”

“I don’t...I take back what I asked earlier. I’m sorry…” 

Lea takes the last sip of his beer. “I figured.” 

He stands, sauntering toward the van. 

Naminé comes running back, pushing past Lea and dropping to her knees on the towel. “Xion’s gone, I couldn’t find her.”

The remaining beachgoers on the blanket exchange collective confusion. “Who?”

Naminé stares at us in disbelief. “What do you mean ‘who’? The other girl who was here! My girlfriend, Xion!” 

She points in the direction of the van, but all I see is a pair of bats making their choppy path toward the city. 


	5. axel/lea with red hair

The days following my unfortunate breakup with a man I hadn’t even been dating sent me into the kind of depression where I limited myself to two reasons to leave the house: work, and grocery shopping (which became a rarer outing itself).

Floods of messages from Terra and the others would come through only to be answered in less than three words, maybe one detached emoji. Nothing came from Lea.

Desperate for some kind of sign from him, I open my laptop and type in the search box:  **Axel/Lea with red hair** .

It occurs to me that he never gave me a last name. Still, I manage to find him after three pages of Instagram profiles. 

His profile picture is really old, he looks almost like a teenager. His wild mane hasn’t grown out yet and sticks out of his head like a torch. His arm is around some girl with straight black hair. His name just reads “Axel”. 

I scroll through the rest of his pictures, the most recent being him with three other guys. The picture was taken at night, the flash bouncing off their neon tank tops. I recognize them as college frat boys. 

One of the guys has a dirty blond Mohawk-mullet combo and holds a beer up to the dark sky. Another has cropped blond hair with a matching goatee, and several piercings in his ears. The third has flowing pink hair that cascades down to his shoulders. 

In the background of the picture is a girl with short black hair. She’s glancing wistfully at the four men in the foreground, a silent plea in her eyes. She’s holding her arm, reserved, as if she doesn’t want any of the frat boys to touch her. 

The strangest thing about the picture is Lea’s face: two prison-type tattoos are stamped under his eyes, two purple marks.

I close the tab and then my laptop, staring up at the ceiling. Who is Lea, or Axel? Rather, who  _ was  _ he? 

My phone rings, it’s Naminé.

“Hey.”

Her voice is apprehensive. “Have you heard from Lea?” 

“Not since the Fourth of July.” I reply. “Why?”

“I haven’t heard from Xion.” 

That name again. “Who are you talking about?”

“Why do you keep saying that? How could you forget her? You two met on the Fourth of July!” Naminé demands.

“I swear to God I have never met anyone named Xion.” I insist.

She mutters a curse under her breath. “What is wrong with you? All of you! Ever since Fourth of July happened, none of you remember Xion! I didn’t hallucinate her, I couldn’t have! And yet it’s like  _ I’m  _ the one who’s crazy!” 

I glance sideways, which of course she can’t see. “What do you want me to say?” 

“Just cut the act and tell me you remember her.” She says.

I shrug. “Okay, we remember her.” 

I can tell she doesn’t believe me, but I don’t know how else to appease her. “Regardless if you remember her or not, do you remember Lea saying he took her to a party and she got raped?” 

I try to recall the conversation, but I hardly remember that. “Sure, I guess…?” 

“Well, I slapped Lea across the face and I do feel kinda bad. I mean, he said he was sorry, and I don’t think he’s one of the guys who raped her.” Naminé explains. 

“Okay...so what do you wanna do about it?” I ask. 

Her voice is soft now. “Just...if you hear from Lea soon, tell him I’m sorry.” 

“I will.” 

“I’ll see you later. Bye, Isa.” 

“Bye.”

Once I close the call screen, I open my texts: nothing new. 

If there’s anything left of the strings, I give them a tug:  **Hey**

He’s still attached, just a sliver:  **Hey yourself **

My heart’s whirling fast, like a hamster on a hamster wheel.  **How are you?**

**Getting by. You?**

**Same**

I tug the strings a bit harder.  **I’ve missed you**

The pending bubble appears and disappears, like a fish poking out of an anemone before darting into open waters.  **You have? **

**Yeah…**

**Me too, baby. Sorry for ruining Fourth of July **

**You didn’t ruin anything**

**I guess you wouldn’t remember, huh? Not with Xion around **

That strikes me as strange; how does Lea know about Xion? 

**Naminé says she’s sorry for slapping you, she doesn’t believe you raped Xion**

**Xion didn’t get raped **

The cogs in my brain start grinding again, wondering what could’ve happened if not that.  **Then what happened? **

**It’s not my place to tell**

**Can you at least tell me why you changed your name?**

The bubble doesn’t appear for a long time; when it does, the dots blink for a longer time. 

**My name is Lea, but it used to be Axel when I was involved with this fraternity. It was like a thing that all our names had to be an anagram of our real names plus an X. When I graduated, I changed my name back to Lea. **

I make an educated guess that the guys in the photo were from that fraternity. 

**Are you still in contact with them?**

He’s not shy of pushing my buttons a little.  **Jealous, baby? (Wink face)**

Maybe a pang of jealousy, but I’d never tell.  **No, just curious **

**No, not after what happened to Xion**

It’s risky, but I need to know.  **Are you sure you’ve never met Roxas before in your life? **

Pending bubble, no pending bubble. Blinking…

**I saw him hanging out with some of the frat guys. I didn’t jump in and stop them because I was scared.**

Somehow I feel betrayed, knowing the only reason betrayal could exist is because I trusted him. 

**Why were you scared? Roxas could’ve been missing way longer but we’re lucky he wasn’t **

The bubble appears like a bullet:  **You wouldn’t understand, Isa **

It’s the first time he’s said my name with hostility. 

**Why wouldn’t I? **

**Because you just wouldn’t, okay? Some things you’re not meant to be a part of yet. I gotta get to work, I’ll talk to you soon**

He disappears as quickly as he had the day at the beach. I suppose this is the punishment for jumping into a romance too quickly.

Restless nights after Lea and I had spoken gave leeway to a series of similar dreams: 

I’d stand naked in a misty forest, the chilly air forming goose pimples on my skin. I’d wrap my arms around myself for warmth, but body just felt too cold. My skin would be so pale that my veins looked like neon in the dark. 

Looking up into the sky, I’d see a full moon, its silver light washing over me. The evergreens around me are rich, dark green, and the wild grass is like black hair, reaching just above my ankles. 

A snap from a branch breaking would force me to whirl around, meeting eyes with Lea. Lea wouldn’t be naked, instead he would wear some kind of Victorian waistcoat and vest. His wild hair would be combed back, badly tamed. The tattoos under his eyes are there. 

“So, have you figured it out yet?” He would ask, every night it’s the same.

“Figured what out?” I’d demand.

He’d only chuckle, stepping back into the darkness. “No, not yet…”

I’d wake in a cold sweat.

After seven nights of being plagued by the same dream, I decide to take my case to Terra.

I arrive at his and Aqua’s apartment, knocking on the door. Normally I’d just bust in, but the last time I’d done it they had been unfortunately involved in intercourse on the couch. And I also feel compelled to just...wait. 

Terra opens the door, looking at me skeptically. Rather than greeting me, he says, “You know you can just come in, right?”

“It’s called being polite,” I retort, “besides, last time I did it, Aqua was fucking you on the couch.”

He blushes, scratching the back of his hair. “You’re right…come on in.”

I kick off my shoes and follow him to the main sitting area. “What brings you to my humble abode?”

“This weird dream I’ve been having.” I relay to him the dream in its entirety. 

When I finish, he says, “Maybe you should see a professional. That dream is way too vivid to just ignore. And he says the same thing every night?”

“Yep. It feels so real, sometimes I wish he’d just give me a clue what he’s looking for.” I lean back into the recliner, back at square one. 

Terra purses his lips. “How’s the bite marks?”

I haven’t thought about them until now. “I can’t see them, how do they look?”

He cranes his neck to see mine. “They just look like little red circles.” 

“They don’t hurt anymore, so I guess that’s a plus.” I decide. 

Terra settles into his seat, his face hiding a secret. 

“What?” I demand.

“Nothing.”

I sit up. “Tell me.”

“You’re not gonna believe me,” he claims.

“I probably won’t, but I just told you about my weird dream.” I agree. “You think he’s a vampire, don’t you?”

“I’m just saying it’s a possibility.” He disposes. 

The front door swings open loudly, startling Terra more than it really should have.

Aqua’s voice rings out from that direction. “I’m home!”

There’s two successive thuds as she kicks off her heels and enters the living room, plopping down on the couch next to Terra and giving him a peck on the cheek.

“Aqua, please tell your boyfriend that I’m not in love with a vampire.” I sigh, gesturing at him.

She catches onto the second part of my sentence before I do. “You’re in love with him?” 

My face flushes. “I didn’t say that!”

“You totally did,” Terra agrees. He breaks into an age-old recess sing-song voice. “Isa loves a vampire, Isa loves a vampire!” 

Aqua pushes him lightly. “Regardless of being a vampire, you clearly have some kind of hangup on Lea.”

“I just...haven’t been in a relationship in a while,” I explain, “I miss the feeling.” 

The couple on the couch glance in opposite directions, as if guilty for being in such a stable relationship for so long.

“Isa, you deserve to have the kind of relationship Aqua and I have.” Terra offers. “And we’re gonna help you.”

“Hey, are you opposed to us setting you up?” Aqua suggests. 

I wince as if she had offered to just have sex with me right now. “Uhh…”

Terra straightens himself on the couch. “Oh come on, we don’t have  _ that  _ bad of taste! We could get Naminé to help you.”

I roll my eyes. “Oh yeah, ask the lesbian for help with guys.” 

“You never know, she might be of some help.” Aqua says. “She knows which guys are real garbage.”

Sighing deeply, I agree as if I’m signing my death away. 

The honking outside my apartment sure didn’t make me a favorite among my neighbors. Throwing up the window, I pick Aqua out on the curb waving to me. She’s wearing a white blouse and a tight blue skirt, something she wouldn’t wear unless we were going - to a club. 

“Tell Terra to stop honking!” I shout. 

Aqua cups her hands around her mouth, yelling, “Get showered and dressed in the next thirty minutes! Something nice!” 

“Mind telling me where we’re going?”

“Just trust us!” 

I raise my head, banging it on the window frame before retracting like a turtle back into my apartment. Glancing at my phone, I see it’s 7:28. We’re probably going clubbing. Remembering how I had resorted to letting them pick my next date, I’m flooded with regret. 

Still, I hop in the shower.

Dressed in a denim vest over a yellow t-shirt, I meet Aqua and Terra on the street. 

“ _ That’s  _ the best thing you could find?” Naminé snorts. She’s sitting in the backseat next to a girl with short black hair. 

“You look like a banana that joined a biker gang.” Terra says.

“Oh thanks.” I tousle his already-messy brown locks. “Do you ever bother to do your hair?”

Aqua answers for me. “No, he doesn’t. Get in, loser, we’re gonna find you a boyfriend.” 


	6. how to start a bar fight

I’m back to booming bass, heart thumping to the beat of a remix.

This is the place where I met Lea, which instantly brings me depression. 

“You really think bringing me to the same place I met Lea is gonna help me?” I shout over the music. 

Aqua’s face turns white. “I didn’t know you met Lea here, I just figured it’s the one gay club in this city and you might get lucky.”

“I got lucky when I met Lea,” I retort. 

“Let loose, Isa! Look, I’ll let you borrow Terra if it means you’ll attract someone.” Aqua pats my back before skipping over to the dance floor.

I turn to Naminé and her girlfriend (who I’m surprised I haven’t met until now). I’d come to learn the girl’s name is Xion. 

Naminé gives me a heartfelt smile before leading Xion onto the floor. 

I stand beside Terra, and he offers me a sky-brightening grin. It doesn’t help that it makes my heart flutter a little. 

“Come on Isa, don’t you see anyone who catches your eye?” He gestures to the dancefloor. 

Scanning the crowd, I don’t see anyone who I could imagine having a meaningful relationship with. 

“I’ll be honest: no.” I admit. 

Giving the crowd another once-over, someone - actually, three someones - catches my eye: the guys in Lea’s Instagram picture. 

None of them look too different from the pic, maybe with trimmed hair. The guy with pink hair meets my eye, and I turn away. 

Terra notices our exchange and grabs my arm excitedly. “Hey, what about that guy?”

“I know him.” I say, a half-lie. 

His eyes widen. “How?” 

“He’s one of Lea’s old friends.” I explain. “I don’t know his name.”

Terra pouts. “Well, maybe just because Lea was friends with him, it doesn’t mean they still are. Go talk to him.”

“I really don’t think I should…” 

But Terra is already shoving me in his direction and won’t stop unless I carry myself the rest of the way.

I meet the man standing at the edge of the club with the two others. The Mohawked guy stares me down as if I’d just thrown up on him.

“We’re straight,” he says flatly. 

The pink-haired one flashes him a crooked smile and says facing me, “Speak for yourself, Demyx, not all of us.”

Taking another step in my direction, he introduces himself. “The name’s Marluxia, what’s yours?”

“Isa,” I allow, giving Demyx another apprehensive glare. 

“Don’t mind him; he hasn’t had enough to drink to turn gay yet.” Marluxia chuckles. “Shall we dance?”

His way of speaking is weird, almost a little archaic. 

“Sure…”

He leads me to the dance floor. I look back at Demyx and the other man, the latter watching me with the glance of a gambler waiting for his opponent to lose his life’s savings. 

Marluxia immediately slams his hips against mine, almost too roughly as if we’re just flat-out fucking. He brushes my hair aside as he grinds into me, his lips on my skin.

I want him to stop, but for some reason I can’t seem to say the word; I just let him slide his hands over me, pecking my neck. 

He brushes my hair away again, and gives my neck a firm lick. A shudder runs through me, but I still can’t seem to pull away from him. 

Suddenly, he stops. He backs away from me, and whatever sedative he seemed to have on me that prohibited me from running away vanishes. 

“Who are you? Who turned you?” He demands. 

“What?” I mumble underneath the music. 

Someone calls my name behind me. “Isa!”

Whirling around, I find it’s Xion, charging toward us like an angered bull. She slams into Marluxia head-on, and despite her size, manages to send him reeling. 

Marluxia flies past parting dancers, like a Red Sea of people, and collides into the bar.

“Xion..?” I can only falter.

Panting, she starts charging again, but something strange happens this time: mid-leap, launches toward Marluxia, Xion transforms into a sleek black-furred she-wolf. 

The she-wolf collides with Marluxia, but Marluxia’s gone. She couldn’t have missed, I saw his eyes widen as she landed on top of him.

Something squirms out from underneath the mass of black fur: a bubblegum-pink cat.

The cat scampers away toward Demyx and the other guy. They step aside to let the cat scurry over their feet, before baring their teeth and transforming themselves into a pair of wolves, one sandy-blond and the other light blond.

The pair of wolves charge Xion, who leaps into the air and becomes a tiny black bat, fluttering wildly among the lights and colors.

“Xion!” Naminé screams, running into the fray.

The wolves corner her, snarling and baring their fangs. A pink one - Marluxia - pushes forward, circling her. She stands tall, like an ethereal being taming the wolves.

She holds out her hands, the wolves snapping and nipping. She doesn’t flinch.

“Leave her alone.” Naminé demands. 

Marluxia growls, gnashing his teeth at her. 

“You think I’m scared of you, you Pink Panther bitch?” Naminé counters. 

“Nami…” I warn, reaching out to pull her closer. 

Marluxia’s eyes dart to me, and he breaks into a fierce run. He pins me, the full force of him should’ve crushed me. 

But...I catch his paws in my hands, grappling with him as if he’s still human. His fangs snap at me, saliva dripping from them onto my face. 

A flash of red collides with Marluxia, knocking him off me. I scramble to my feet, face-to-face with a blood-red wolf. 

“Lea…?”

Someone’s hand grabs mine - Terra - and drags me off the floor. 

“Where’s Xion?” I yell, searching wildly for her. 

The crash of shattered glass echoes through the club, and I turn in the direction it came from. 

Terra ushers me out of the club to regroup. I do a mental headcount: Aqua, Terra, me...Naminé?

“Where’s Naminé?” They can’t answer me before I’m pushing back inside, past the stream of people trying to escape.

The club is nearly empty now, I didn’t realize most people had left when the fight even started.

Marluxia, Demyx, and the other wolf circle the red one. The red one guards a tiny black bat that’s curled up behind the wolf’s paw.

The red wolf snarls at Marluxia, and Marluxia shakes his head. He transforms again, shrinking then growing into the tall, slim human he entered the club as. The other wolves follow him. 

“Oh Lea, it’s useless to protect them…” he chides.

Lea only snarls again, nipping at Marluxia’s feet. 

“You know no amount of apologies will ever get them to forgive you, right?” Marluxia continues. “But I should know it won’t make it through your thick skull…”

He turns to the others. “Come on, boys.”

They slink back into their wolf skins, slipping into the dark night. I wonder how they won’t be seen, but they gallop off into the night anyway.

I turn to Lea again, he’s turned back into a human. He cradles the bat in his hands, then tucks it into his pocket. He meets eyes with me, green locked on aqua, and transforms into a small red bat. The bat flutters around in the flashing lights before zipping through the broken window.

We leave before the police can arrive on-scene. Sitting in the car in silence, we try to comprehend what we saw.

“What happened to - never mind…” Naminé falters. 

The name comes to me. “Xion?”

She glances at me strangely. “You remembered her?”

“How could I forget her? She turned into a wolf, then a bat, right before our eyes!” I laugh a little, almost hysterically.

“What happened to her?” Naminé asks, apprehensive.

“Lea took her.” I answer. “I don’t know where they are now. He turned into a bat and carried her off.”

Naminé stares into her lap, despondent. 

I want to believe I had too much to drink, but it’s impossible: I’m sober.

Now we’re sitting around my living room, holding cups of lukewarm coffee. We’ve barely touched a sip.

Terra’s the quietest I’ve ever seen him. Is it true, everything he’s ever believed in?

We called Ven and Rox over to talk about what had happened at the club. They sit among our silent council.

“I think it’s time we do a little research,” Ven suggests. 

“What kind of research?” I ask.

Ven looks at me gravely. “Vampire research.” 

They’re all asleep but Roxas and me. 

He leans on the windowsill, and I sit on the floor. 

“Are there really vampires, Isa?” He finally speaks. 

He sounds like a little kid asking if he’s got a terminal illness. I don’t have the heart to tell him the truth (even if I don’t want to believe it, either), but it doesn’t seem like I can effectively lie to him. 

“It appears so,” I admit.

He blinks, still staring out at the city lights. “Are we vampires?”

I lean against the wall, searching for my words. I settle on, “I guess.” 

“What’s gonna happen to us?” 

I wish I knew. I tell him so.

He chuckles lightly. “I’m gonna miss eating garlic…”

I can’t help but laugh, too. “I feel you.”

Roxas slinks from the window, sliding down the wall and settling next to me. “I remember what happened to me now.”

I perk a bit, staying quiet so he’ll tell me.

He draws in a shaky breath. “The guys you described at the club came to the party I went to with Hayner, Pence, and Olette. Demyx is Hayner’s older brother, but I wouldn’t have known since he barely comes home. They got me drunk and alone, one of them bit me - I think it was the pink-haired one, Marluxia? - and I fell asleep immediately. I guess I was out for two days. Xion rescued me, I don’t remember how, but I do remember waking up in some cabin in the woods with her. She didn’t hurt me, she let me sleep. She found out about those posters and took me back to Ven.” 

There’s rustling on the couch, and Naminé sits up groggily.

“Xion…that necklace she always wears, it has a charm on it. She told me that as long as she wears it, she can choose who remembers her. She let me remember her first, and now she’s letting you remember her.” She explains.

“Why would Xion want us to remember her now?” I ask.

Naminé goes quiet, whispering, “Maybe...something bad happened to her.”

I don’t remember falling asleep, but the dream finally changes. 

His expression isn’t pride, it’s shame. “You figured it out, huh?” 

“What do I do about it? And where’s Xion?” I demand.

“Don’t worry, she’s safe now. I didn’t realize she’d be crazy enough to take Marluxia and his gang head-on.” Lea assures, running a hand through his hair.

I stare at the black grass. “So, I’m really a vampire, huh?” 

“Winner, winner, chicken dinner,” he laughs weakly. 

I shake my head. “Just answer me one thing: why did you do it? Why did you bite me?” 

He sighs. “In all honesty, I was hungry. I haven’t fed off a human in forever. Most modern vampires can get by eating raw meat or killing squirrels and birds if they can. Sometimes we hunt in our animal forms to get the nutrition we need. But humans...human blood is sweet, it’s rich, it’s smooth…I’m so sorry, I couldn’t help myself…” 

I grimace, I should’ve known better. “So all those disappearances…”

“Aren’t because of me,” Lea interrupts. “It’s Marluxia and his gang. It’s more than just that. Look, I don’t want to explain it here. Can we do it some other time?”

I look at him helplessly. “When?”

“I’ll send you a text before you wake up. Get some sleep.” Lea ambles back to the forest, and I wake up. 

Waiting on my lockscreen for me is a text from Lea: “Wanna get takeout and come over to my place?”

I figure this is my only chance if I want some answers. “Sure.”


	7. vampires

I arrive at Lea’s around nine on Sunday night. When he invites me in, he’s in the kitchen rummaging around in a grocery bag, retrieving the Chinese takeout boxes inside.

“Hey,” I offer casually, sitting down at his table. 

“Hey yourself,” Lea replies. 

My desperation wishes this didn’t feel like a casual date.

He slides me a paper plate and the box of rice. 

“I just got a bunch of different stuff, help yourself.” He gestures.

We eat in silence for a while until he says, “How ya feeling so far?”

I shrug. “No different, really.”

“Have your fangs come in?” He cups my jaw, making it hard for me to swallow the bite of food in my mouth. 

“Lemme swallow first!” I push his hand away teasingly. 

“Smile for me,” he says, more of an instruction than a request. 

I smile, crooked at first. He purses his lips. “Nothing yet. You’d feel them, trust me.”

“Won’t people notice them, like when you go to the dentist and stuff?” I mention.

“You could say I go to a specialist.” He grins, tapping his two pointed canines. 

I run my tongue over my canines, feeling their smooth and comforting point. Not yet, not quite. 

I ask him gently, “What’s gonna happen to me?” 

“Nothing, really,” Lea says, “there’s a kind of special realm where vampires and other supernatural beings can exist without changing their lifestyle, but you could adapt to the human world just as well.”

I shake my hand to halt him. “Wait, what? What do you mean by a ‘special realm’?”

He cracks a crooked smile. “I’ll explain later…”

I don’t exactly enjoy this skirting around the subject, but somehow I trust him to tell me...someday. 

I change the subject. “Do you feed off people at the hospital where you work?”

“Of course not. I’ve only fed off two people, including you.” He answers. 

“Who was the other?”

He glances to the side. “Her name was Skuld.”

“Did she become a vampire?” 

He purses his lips. “I don’t know…I blacked out, but I never saw her again.” 

“Oh…I’m sorry.”

Lea snorts. “What for?” 

He’s got a point. “I don’t know…people just say that when they’re uncomfortable I guess.”

“Do you hate me for what I did?” He wonders.

“Not really.” I admit. 

“You should.” 

What he says doesn’t make me fear him, just pity him. I guess he didn’t ask for this, even if he did bite me.

“Well, what are Roxas and I supposed to do?” 

He makes a sound like a stifled burp, and mumbles “Excuse me” to himself. He meets eyes with me again and says, “You can’t tell your friends.”

“They kinda know. Besides, it’s a little hard to hide the fact I could just turn them into a vampire or kill them.” I point out.

Lea mutters a curse to himself and changes his instructions. “Then...don’t tell them about me, and especially not Marluxia and his gang.”

“Who is Marluxia, for real?” My hand has become a fist on the table.

Lea runs his tongue around his cheek before answering. “He, Demyx, and Luxord- the ones I went to college with - are part of a centuries-old vampire coven called the Organization. They’re as old as old can get; surviving off the blood of humans, not being allowed inside a house without an invitation, stuff like that. Most vampires have adapted to living in a modern world, but these guys refuse to adapt. Their ultimate goal is to preserve the natural order and customs of vampires.”

His tone switches to the kind of voice I’d recognize from a TV game show. “You may be wondering what that means for you! Well, lucky you - you’re fucking toast if they find out.”

My stomach drops. “Thanks…”

“Okay, maybe not toast.” Lea corrects, “But they will try to recruit you to the darker-dark side. That’s why they sent their younger-looking members undercover as a fraternity, to turn young men and women into vampires that will further their race. That’s how I got sucked into it - no pun intended.” 

“So when will I be able to turn into bats and wolves like you?” I ask, that seeming to be the only upside of being a vampire now. 

“Let’s see, I bit you like nearly a month ago?” Lea counts on his fingers, muttering. “Probably by Halloween-ish. Lucky you!”

“That’s not for months!” I exclaim, impatience taking me. Considering how fast the other symptoms came, I had been hoping the cooler stuff would come just as soon.

“Someone’s impatient,” Lea chuckles teasingly. “Honestly, it varies with each vampire. Anyway, I was going to suggest that you and Roxas come over at least once every week - Sundays are perfect - to harness some of your vampire symptoms and powers.”

“Like dates”, I want to interject. 

It’s almost like Lea reads my mind when he responds (part of me wonders if mind-reading is part of the vampire perks system). “We shouldn’t be romantically involved for a while; at least, not until I can forgive myself for what I did to you.” 

_ But I’ve forgiven you. _

Have I?

He did, after all, destroy my mortality and turn me into a creature of the night. 

I brush off his request and smirk at him. “So what, you’re gonna be like my Mr. Miyagi with this vampire stuff?” 

Lea spreads his hands, an invitation. “If you choose to accept it. I can train you, which might speed up the process of your powers developing. Your fangs are the real kicker - we won’t know when they’ll come in.” 

I bite my lip. “Alright, I accept. But I can’t guarantee Roxas will.” 

We shake on it. It might be in my head, but his hand lingers on mine just a split second longer than it should’ve. 

The following week, Roxas and I turn up at Lea’s at twilight. He’s got his laptop propped up with a shitty PowerPoint presentation on the screen. The title is:  _ Vampire Training 101.  _

He claps and rubs his hands together. “Okay, so the basics for right now: things to know about being a vampire.” 

The screen pinwheels to the next slide. “Number one: immortality! Pros of immortality: uh, duh? Immortality? Cons: you can still die if someone puts a stake through your heart, if you ingest garlic, or someone drowns you in holy water.” 

Roxas rolls his eyes and scoffs. “Wow, it’s not like my brother is, A. The most Catholic and Italian person I know, and B. Is ridiculously clumsy and would probably accidentally kill me by dousing me in holy water.”

Lea and I exchange odd glances, until Roxas’s sarcasm dials down to zero and turns to embarrassment. 

“Sorry, guess I’m just a little bitter about this being undead thing.” He shrugs. 

Lea brushes off Roxas’s bitterness. “You’re not really undead if you’re turned into a vampire by another vampire. Real undead vampires are corpses inhabited by bloodthirsty spirits direct from Hell. That’s why there’s such a split between the ‘pureblood’ vampires and the ‘turned’ vampires.

“Anyway, besides immortality, you’re blessed with eternal youth. Or at least, blessed with the same body and health you had when you were turned. Most turned vampires are turned fairly young, since the fresher the blood, the better it tastes, if ya know what I’m saying.” Lea winks. 

Part of me can’t believe I’m like a living Clickbait article now:  _ Doctors hate him! You won’t believe the secret to looking young!  _ The other part is relieved that I wasn’t suffering from allergies when I got bitten. Do allergies even transfer? I hope not.

“So what about that ‘other realm’ you told me about when I was over last time?” I offer.

Lea sweeps the remote across his chest in a grand gesture. “I’m glad you asked!” 

The slide changes. “All otherworldly beings come from a parallel universe in which magical creatures can exist peacefully. There’s a fissure in the seal between the universes, which allows all the good - and bad - creatures to pass through into the mortal realm. Usually this is harmless, unless a large and powerful group of baddies finds the fissure.”

I hate to ask, but I’m too curious. “What happens if the seal is broken completely?” 

He doesn’t meet my eyes. “There’s only been one instance when the seal was broken completely: during the Dark Ages, when empires fell and humans feared the unknown.” 

“Were you around?” Roxas adds. 

“How old do you think I am?” Lea teases, returning to his usual self. 

“How was it fixed?” I wonder. 

“It took the sacrifice of many human and supernatural lives,” he explains, “in some cases, that weeded out the evil of both species. But some managed to survive…”

Another slide change. There’s the picture of Lea, Luxord, Demyx, and Marluxia from Instagram, along with a few fuzzy pictures of figures in black cloaks. “Enter the Organization, a super-elite and evil group of pureblood vampires whose ultimate goal is to feast on humanity and gain control of the mortal realm for all otherkind. Also, they hate me.” 

Roxas sits up higher. “Those are the guys who kidnapped me!”

“Exactly,” Lea confirms. “They also turned Xion, which is why she hates them so much. These are just a few of the lackeys, but they’re far more powerful than you realize.” 

“So what do we do about them?” I ask. 

Lea clicks to the next slide, which has nothing to do with the Organization. “Ignore them.” 

“But you told me they’d have our asses if they found out about us!” I argue. 

“Look, I’m not gonna put you two in danger; being a vampire is already enough of a danger.” Lea says. “You might as well thank me now.”

I flop back into the couch cushions, arms crossed. So we’re just going to ignore the vampire mafia, just like that? I want to argue with him to get his head out of the sand and do something about them, since they’re the sole reason Roxas and I are supernatural creatures. 

Roxas pipes up. “How long until it could be broken again?”

Lea averts his gaze again. “No one knows. But we can feel it weakening faster and faster every second. Some speculate that this is just a cycle, that it’s only natural for the seal to re-strengthen itself every thousand years or so. But since it’s only happened once, we don’t really know. It’s also unknown how long it will take to close the seal, or how long the seal will refuse to let humans and creatures pass between it once it is re-strengthened.” 

“So, once the seal is closed, no one will be able to pass through it?” I reaffirm.

Lea nods. “It doesn’t matter if you’re a creature or a human; if you’re stuck on one side of the barrier while it closes up, you’re trapped until it begins to weaken again. That could take tens, hundreds, thousands of years.”

Roxas and I exchange glances, internally thinking about what could happen if the seal were broken in our lifetime.

The slide changes again. “Some powers you’re going to have: shape-shifting, night vision, the ability to stay up for hours on end without needing sleep, and of course, fangs. On the downside, shape-shifting is difficult to master, and can be painful the first time. You will also become hypersensitive to the sun; ‘turned’ vampires can’t die from sunlight, but you do get wicked sunburns. I know a website where you can buy that SPF 500 sunscreen, though.”

Roxas snorts. “We don’t glitter in the sunlight?” 

Lea narrows his eyes. “Okay, Mr. Smartass, you wanna explain the rest of this?” 

Roxas nonchalantly lies back with the gusto of a true high school senior whose actions could not affect his future. “Nope, go ahead.”

A shadow falls across Lea’s face as he delivers a warning. “A note about your fangs: it will take a while for them to come in, and it varies for everyone. But the main thing about your fangs, is that the second they come in, you’re gonna crave human blood so bad that there’s almost nothing you can do about it. So be careful who you’re around…”

“What happens if we bite someone?” I ask, hand raised. 

“Well, vampires are turned by draining only half the human blood from the body, and the enzymes in a vampire’s body fluids enter in its place. Those enzymes attack all human cells, rearranging them to have vampire qualities - didn’t think you’d be getting a biology lesson today, huh?” He throws us a wink. “But most of the time, when a vampire has their first feast, they end up killing a human.” His face falls just as easily as he had been chipper. 

“Oh…” Roxas mumbles. He rubs the bite mark on his neck, refusing to meet either of our eyes. 

I recall our conversation about the person named Isa, and how Lea never got the closure about what happened to him. 

Something else dawns on me: I’ve got Lea’s vampire enzymes running through my veins. “Wait, uh...since  _ you’re  _ the one who turned  _ me,  _ are we, like, related now?”

“Oh no, it doesn’t work like that,” Lea assures. “Once you’re turned, the enzymes from the previous vampire are killed off, and the cells replace themselves within seconds. It’s like you’re a completely different person.” 

My head is starting to hurt trying to wrap it around all of this stuff. “Okay, just go to the next slide.” 

The slideshow turns black. “Well, I guess that was it. You can go home now, if you want.” 

Roxas jumps off the couch eagerly, cracking his back and checking his phone.

I rise to my feet, approaching Lea cautiously. He seems distracted, like there’s more he wants to tell us, the words lingering on his perfect lips.

My voice comes out soft. “Lea?”

His attention snaps to me. “Hm?”

“Are you okay?” I offer. 

“Me? Oh yeah, I’m fine. You’re free to go. I’ll see you the same time next week, you and Roxas.” He seems to add “Roxas” as an afterthought. He drops his voice. “Look, if this is about the whole ‘vampire enzyme’ thing, we really aren’t related. Your body replaces the cells, so it’s not, like, incest or anything.”

I shake my head. “No, that’s not what I wanted to talk about. But it  _ is  _ on the subject of a romantic relationship…”

He smiles at the ceiling, breathing a sigh of disbelief. “I already told you, we shouldn’t be romantically involved. Whatever you thought we had, we should end it. I can’t let you be involved with Marluxia and the others, and the best way to keep you from that is by keeping you away from me as much as possible. To be honest, I’m a little scared to train you two in case they find out.” 

Despite my entire body being vampire now, my heart still feels human when it breaks. “Oh…”

“I’m sorry Isa, but it’s for your own good.” He says. He closes his laptop. “I’ll see you next week, okay?”

The sadness melts, turning to anger and determination. “Fine. Come on, Roxas, I’ll drive you home.”

“Oh, okay. See ya next week, Lea.” Roxas says, following me out.

I want to slam the door behind me, but I hold myself back. Thudding down the stairs from his apartment, I wish he would burst through the door, shouting my name, claiming he doesn’t care what happens so long as he has me.

But it’s dumb. It’s a fairy tale I want to come true, but I know won’t. Because in this world, there are no fairy tales, and only bad dreams come true. 


	8. how to believe in yourself

“Are you ever gonna own up to your feelings and actually talk to Lea about what you want?” Naminé asks, her every manner resonating like a family member’s judgement. 

I lean back in my chair, head rolling back to face the ceiling. The rain outside spatters against Naminé’s tin roof. Her cat, Shadow, rubs his head against my ankles. Naminé sits across from me, hands wrapped around a cup of chamomile tea. The plants hanging from her ceiling shudder slightly from the wind emanating from the open screen door. Somehow, I can always find peace at Nami’s house. The way it sits on the edge of the forest - like the bridge between the real and surreal - puts me at ease. 

Xion walks in from the kitchen, her arms folded. She glances out the screen door at the rain, watching it wash across the back porch. 

“Something wrong, babe?” Nami wonders, reaching out to touch Xion’s hand. 

Xion’s fingers brush against Nami’s, but their eyes don’t meet. “Just reminds me of how we met.” 

I’d only heard the story in brief mentions. “How did you two meet?” 

Nami blushes. “It’s kinda dumb...but I saw her in the woods and she nearly scared the shit out of me. I almost chased her off my property with a broom.”

“I thought you guys started talking over Instagram?” I recall, only having bits and pieces of that knowledge.

Naminé scrunches her face, as if the memory had only just occurred to her. Xion rubs the amulet draped from her neck, and Nami suddenly perks. 

“You’re right, how did I --” she falters. 

“Forget?” I offer. I nod my head toward Xion.

Nami turns in her chair. “Did...did you not want me to remember?”

Xion shakes her head. “It’s not that, I guess I forgot to give you back that memory.” 

“Is this like, a normal thing?” I wag my finger at the space between them. “You know, toying with each other’s memories?”

“I’m not toying with her,” Xion corrects me, voice suddenly dripping venom. “You wouldn’t know what it was like for me.”

I rise to my feet, pulling my hair back to show her the bite scars. “Actually, I think I kinda do.”

“You knew what you were getting into!” Xion spits. “You willingly went with Lea!” 

“Didn’t you?” I ask.

“No!” Xion shrieks, a hysterical laugh on the edge of her voice. “Why don’t you ask him yourself what really happened?”

I groan, slumping back into my chair. “When will I finally get some goddamn answers?”

Naminé rubs Xion’s hand, Xion’s eyes still fixed on the rain. “Do you mind if I tell him some things?” Nami asks gently.

Xion scoffs. “What is there to tell him?” She lets her hand slip out of Nami’s grasp as she strides past, going to the screen door and sliding it open. She closes it behind her, sitting on the porch.

Nami’s eyes affix to her tea, the steam swirling above like magic. “Xion was really shy in high school, and I guess Lea had tried to prove something to the guys he was hanging out with, like some kind of initiation. She went with him to that party where they turned her into a vampire.”

My stomach turns. I don’t like hearing bad things about Lea’s past, but I guess everything he’s been doing for Roxas and me has been some kind of redemption.

“I really do understand her bitterness,” I offer, “I miss my old life. I miss having a real sleep schedule. I miss eating garlic and not having to wear SPF 500 sunscreen every time I leave my house. And it doesn’t help that I still have feelings for the guy who turned me.”

Nami chuckles. “Why do you think that is?”

“He’s got you under his spell, that’s why. I bet he’s still got something to prove to those bastards.” Xion chimes in bitterly from the porch.

That thought hadn’t occurred to me, that I was a pawn in a much bigger scheme that Lea was forming. It really did seem like he wanted to redeem himself, and I wanted to hold onto that belief like a dying wish. 

Naminé’s hand brushes against mine. “That’s not it, I’m sure. I’m pretty good at reading people, and that doesn’t seem like Lea’s intentions. The fact that he doesn’t go by the nickname those guys gave him is one reason.” 

The glimmer of hope ignites in my heart, but somehow I can’t shake that doubt. “I wish I knew, I really do. Maybe I wouldn’t love him nearly as much as I do if I knew the truth, but maybe I’m alright with that. It would certainly help, but even as the truth unfolds, I can’t bring myself to hate him.”

“It’s because you’re a good person, Isa,” Nami explains, “and because you know people aren’t one-sided. And I’m sure Lea knows that, but even still it’s hard for him to reveal himself.”

Thunder rumbles in the distance, the rain pattering down harder. A soaked Xion trudges in from the porch, and Nami offers her a warm smile. 

“Come on babe, let’s get you out of those wet clothes.” She leads her into her bedroom. 

“Get a room!” I shout teasingly.

“This is my house! You can leave anytime!” Nami shouts back. 

I chuckle to myself, reaching down to pet the cat curled up around my feet.

The dream I haven’t had for a while comes back to me: the rendezvous in the forest. 

Before, I had always assumed the forest was a figment of my imagination, but I recognize it as the woods behind Naminé’s house. 

“I wish you wouldn’t keep things from me,” I blurt out, “honestly, it’s driving me insane. I don’t want a date, I don’t want anything but honest answers. I don’t care what it takes, I just want some goddamn truth.”

Lea steps out from the tree he usually appears behind, the branches rustling. “Truth, huh? I guess I could give you some. What do you want to know?” 

“What happened at the party you took Xion to?” I demand.

He exhales through his nose, tongue pushed to his cheek. “It was kinda like a hazing thing, y’know? I had to bring the Organization fresh meat.”

My stomach churns again, and I want to refuse his testimony. “No…”

“You wanted the truth, didn’t you?” Lea spreads his hands in defeat. “I’m no angel, Isa.” 

“Yeah, but…” I falter.  _ I didn’t really want to believe it was true. _

Lea puts his hands on his hips. “Y’know, everything I do for you and Roxas is to make up for what I couldn’t do for Xion. I don’t expect her to forgive me anytime soon, but it would be nice for her to acknowledge that I’m trying to change.” 

“Here’s something you didn’t cover in vampire training: how are you able to appear in my dreams?” I mention.

“Simple dream spell,” he answers casually. “When your heart and mind are in tune, they can summon me to your dreams. It’s really more of your doing than mine, actually.”

“How do you learn spells?” 

“Same way you do anything: practice. If you want to add it to the training regimen, we can.” 

I dread asking further, but that shadow of doubt crosses my mind. “What about...love spells?” 

He chuckles in that way he does when he’s going to tease me. “What, you wanna cast a love spell on me, babe? I’m flattered.”

“No, not for you,” I correct, “I meant...me. Am I under some kind of love spell with you?”

He grins. “What makes you think that?”

What, he expects me to confess on the spot? And yet I’m compelled to break down. “I...I can’t stop thinking about you, okay? I know I’ve made it evident at our last meeting, but I just...even after our one-night stand, I couldn’t keep you out of my mind. And even with all this bad stuff I’m learning about you, I immediately forgive you. Why is that? Why aren’t I afraid of you?”

“Maybe you trust me more than I give you credit for? Maybe you can really believe that everything bad I did was a series of bad mistakes? Because your heart is good, and you don’t give yourself enough credit for it?” He suggests.

I stare at my feet. I never believed I was instinctively good; if I were to describe myself, “hero” wouldn’t be near the list. Terra was always the one who had the bright, likeable personality, the one who always saw the good in people. Me? I was distrustful, I didn’t want to believe in people because I couldn’t believe in myself. 

And I still can’t. I shake my head. “No, my heart’s never been good.”

I hadn’t realized it before, but Lea had come so close to me while I had silently doubted myself. His hand brushes my face, allowing me to meet eyes with him.

“I don’t believe that for a second. You’re the first person in a long time to truly believe in me, and I don’t think it’s because the dick was good.” He snickers. 

I can feel my cheeks flush, and I hope nothing else will become flushed since I still appear in these dreams ass-naked. He tilts my head up, allowing my lips to meet his. I let myself fall into the kiss, but I don’t try to pull him closer. 

To my surprise, his hands slide down to my hips and he pulls me closer. My eyes open briefly from the surprise, falling shut immediately after. I allow myself to wrap my arms around his shoulders. His hands are warm on my chilled skin. He feels like a long-lost lover, a man I’d been waiting to return from war. 

The kiss breaks, but I hunger for more. I press my mouth to his again, and he makes a soft “Mmf” in the back of his throat. I tangle my fingers in his hair, and his hands slide further down to grab my ass. The blood rushes down...so much for nothing else getting flushed.

He chuckles on my lips, one hand tracing my front, fingers dancing just close enough to my…

I push his hand away. “I’d rather do this in real life,” I murmur, my voice hoarse.

“I don’t want to put you in danger,” he reiterates, “I’m sorry, but I can’t risk them finding you again. They were already so close that night at the club, and I can’t let them hurt you.”

I give myself a moment to think. Of course I still wanted this in real life, but maybe the dream would be enough…

“Then make this a good sex dream for me, okay?”

I wouldn’t call it a bad choice, but by the time I’ve woken up, I’m not completely satisfied by the intense wet dream Lea had allowed me.

I lie in bed, frustrated and sticky. It was almost not worth it...almost. 

Glancing at my phone, the date reads: Sunday. Underneath, Lea’s sent me a text: 

**Thanks for the dream ;) I’ll see you this afternoon **


	9. how to turn into a bat

“Can you at least tell us where we’re going?”

Lea cracks a crooked smile. “That would ruin the fun, baby…”

Checking my phone for the time, I can’t believe we’ve only been driving for thirty minutes; it’s felt like two hours. And that doesn’t even count the hours we wasted at Lea’s apartment waiting for the sun to go down - for some reason. 

“Lea, I hate to be ‘that guy’, but I gotta pee,” Roxas offers meekly from the backseat. 

“We’re almost there,” Lea promises. 

A soft neon glow in the violet night is beckoning to us, and I recognize the building we’re approaching as a gym. Unlike the heavy fluorescent LEDs in most gyms, this one looks almost vacant in its unique blacklight. Surrounded by the dark forest, it makes me wonder why there’s even a gym in the middle of the woods. 

“How can you even see in there?” I ask.

Lea snorts. “Uh, vampire. Duh? We have night vision. Anyway, part two of training is getting used to your new body.” 

He parks the car on familiar mortal gravel, but as we step out, I can tell this place is -- otherworldly. It feels like a vacant rest stop at ten PM, ethereal, like a portal to another world. Lea motions with his head for us to follow.

Beyond the glass doors, a weary-looking teenage girl waves at us halfheartedly from behind the reception desk. 

“That’s AvaLea says, dropping his voice to a husky whisper, “she’s a werewolf; the full moon was yesterday, so she’s a little tired.”

“I can hear you,” Ava retorts, taking his punch card and stamping it with a regular mortal stamp set. She glances to Roxas and me, who exchange glances with each other.

“They’re with me,” Lea dismisses, leading us into the locker room. 

Even though I’ve seen Lea naked - and vice versa, including last night’s dream - changing in front of him in the blacklight feels...naughty, like I’m not supposed to see him. He catches me staring at his smooth, hairless chest, and instead of his usual teasing wink, he shies away. 

“So what’s the reason for taking us all the way out here to a gym?” Roxas asks, pulling his shirt over his blond cowlicks. 

Lea slips on a black athletic tank top, which drapes off his lanky frame like an oversized coat on a coat rack. “Didn’t you notice? We passed through the barrier between the mortal and otherworldly realms. This ain’t no ordinary gym, kid. Besides, I thought I’d let you train in peace and not under mortal eyes, lest they whip out a gun and shoot ya.”

Roxas’s face pales, and Lea nudges him jokingly. “Don’t worry; most mortal guns can’t kill us.”

“What actually happens when a vampire dies?” I wonder. 

“Well, I told you that ‘pure’ vampires are demons inhabiting corpses, but us?” He makes a popping sound with his lips. “You fail to exist, gone forever in the blink of an eye. You’d be nothing but dust in the wind, no mortal shell and no supernatural soul.”

“We don’t get sent back to Hell?” Roxas goes to touch the space just below his neck - the space where a formerly-worn rosary would rest - but he lets his hand fall away.

Lea chuckles dryly. “There is no final resting place for those whose souls have been taken by creatures of darkness. There is nowhere for us to go. We can try to remain in this realm, but the seal between this world and the mortal world is weak, bringing the evil of our kind to prey on the humans.”

He slams his locker shut, rubbing his hand on the cold metal. “Come on, I only charged for three hours here.” 

He leads us past normal-looking elliptical machines, some in use: there are two tall and thin women standing by one, resting glowing smoothie cups on the seats while they converse; a green goblin-like man was doing reps of over 500 lbs on another. 

Lea ushers us into a large room with an extremely high ceiling. The walls are smooth and bare, and the room stretches for what seems like miles ahead of us. The floor is cushy, but not enough to break a fall comfortably from the full height. 

“This room is meant for flight-enabled creatures to practice flying. Your eyesight isn’t too great yet, but you can probably see that glow, right?” Lea points his finger toward the glowing spots lining the ceiling. “If you turn into a bat, you probably wouldn’t be able to see it any better. But -” 

He cups his hands around his mouth and lets out an ear-splitting screech. The screech travels the length of the room, then suddenly bounces back and washes us in an amplified soundwave. 

“You’re gonna need to use echolocation,” he finishes. 

Roxas raises his hand. “Yeah, uh, one problem: how the fuck do we shapeshift?”   
Lea regards him slyly. “Watch your language, you talk to your mom with that mouth?”

Roxas shifts on his feet. “My mom’s dead. She died of cancer during my freshman year.” 

“Oh…” Lea’s face falls, and his skin is paler than normal. “Sorry…what about your dad?”

“Left when Ven and I were kids,” Roxas answers blandly. 

The tension, thick like grease, hangs in the air. 

“Uh anyway,” Lea cuts into it, “shape-shifting is a hard-to-master art. You have to concentrate all your energy and thoughts into being the form you want to be in. Most vampires can only turn into bats, cats, or wolves - sometimes all three, if they’re really powerful and have mastered the art - but I’ve heard some can unlock other forms beyond animals, like clouds of smoke, and possibly invisibility.”

My memory flashes to the pink cat, another one of Marluxia’s forms. 

“Okay, now close your eyes, and focus.”

I close my eyes, the darkness enveloping me. Lea’s voice seems distant, like he’s in a dream. 

“Imagine every part of your body becoming that of a bat’s: your ears elongate, your arms turn to webbed wings, you sprout fur all over your body…” 

Breathing deeply, I imagine myself becoming a bat. Images flash through my mind, vaguely piecing together what a bat looks like. I’ve never actually seen a bat up close, only a winged blur in the sky. What if that messes me up?

A sharp, plummeting feeling hits me, like falling in a dream and waking just before impact. As I’m falling, I snap my eyes open. The tumble mat floor approaches rapidly, and right before I hit the ground, I’m scooped up brought upward. 

“Lea, help me! I can’t -” I’m screaming, but it’s only garbled screeching.

Eyes wide, I find I’m resting on a soft, warm, curved surface: a human hand. Lea’s face looms over me, big as the moon. 

“You did it, first try too! But you don’t have to screech, I’m right here.” He chuckles, brushing his finger over my head. “You’re so cute!”

If I were human, I’d be blushing. I take a minute to marvel at my transformation: arms turned to translucent sheets of skin, held into frame by spindly elongated fingers; blue fur covers my shrunken body; my pointed ears sit atop my head; and a wrinkly snout-like nose rests between my peripheral vision. 

In his other hand rests Roxas, whose transformation parallels that of my own. He chirps at me, baring tiny white fangs. 

“I’m gonna stay like this until you two take flight toward that ring up there. Your goal is to fly through it and come back down. If you fall, I’ll catch you, okay?” He holds his palms flat like airplane runways. “Ready for takeoff?”

I stretch my wings, testing their weight. With one flap, I propel myself upward, only to come back down to Lea’s cupped hand. 

“Come on Isa, you can do it.” He shakes his hand like a sieve, encouraging me. “It helps if you jump.”

“Are you crazy?” I shout, Lea cringing from my ear-piercing screeches. 

“Not so loud! Just trust me, okay?” He rubs his thumb over my head. 

_ Yeah, that’s a surefire way to make me not trust you.  _

“Here, will it help if I throw you?” He asks.

_ Throw me?! _

“I’ll be careful, I’ll catch you.” He reaffirms. 

I glance to Roxas, and he cocks his head sideways. I take that as a reassuring gesture. Uneasily, I tilt my wing and sort of “hold hands” with Lea for confirmation. He picks up my gesture fine.

“Okay, ready? One…” He lowers his arms swinging it back up like he’s tossing a baseball. “Two...three!” 

He launches me into the air, and I snap my wings open, spiraling up toward the ceiling. Holy shit, I’m actually flying. In choppy circles, I climb higher and higher with Roxas not too far behind. 

Screeching toward the ceiling, I let my voice bounce back, guiding me toward the ring. It isn’t long before the shape of the ring is within my sight, and I hoist myself over its curve, like threading a needle. 

“HELL YEAH, ISA!” Lea cheers from below. 

The pride overwhelms me, and for a moment everything seems to stop - then, I’m plummeting toward the ground. 

_ Shitshitshitshitshit! _

Panicked, I flap my wings, arcing into flight. I hear Lea sigh in relief. 

He holds his palms out for Roxas and me to land smoothly. 

“Holy shit, that was the best first flight I’ve ever seen anyone take.” He rubs his thumbs against our heads. He turns to me. “Not gonna lie, you nearly gave me a heart attack taking that nosedive.”

Kneeling, he sets us on the ground so we can transform back. I close my eyes again, reimagining my human form. 

Somehow, I assumed I was going to be naked when I retook human form, so I complete my transformation with my hands hovering just over my crotch. When I realize I’m fully-clothed, I move my hands. 

“That was so cool!” Roxas examines his hands, as if to make sure they’re intact. “What’s next?”

Lea flashes his devilish grin. “You’re gonna do it again.” He sticks his fingers in his mouth, letting out an ear-splitting whistle. “GO!” 


	10. how to be a brother

Almost a month has passed of purely bat-form training, mixed with a dietary program focusing on our growing cravings for bloody meat. 

In this time, my fangs still haven’t come in; neither have Roxas’s. Every day that passes without my fangs coming in leaves me in a perpetual state of anxiety; I could be anywhere, around anyone, the thirst for blood too powerful to hold back. 

The hardest part isn’t my physical changes; it’s being away from my friends, skirting around the truth, it’s being around Lea, bottling up my feelings for him. 

From my last interaction with Naminé, I had thought about what she had told me about being a good person. The longer that conversation stewed in my stomach, the less I believed it. A good person wouldn’t avoid his friends just because he’s turned into a bloodthirsty creature that could easily kill them. 

Talking to Lea about my problems didn’t help either, having to push down the urge to kiss him. 

I was sure an outlet was never going to come. 

It’s been two weeks since I started a new job with night hours that adjusted to my fucked sleep schedule. Upon returning to my apartment, just as I’m kicking off my shoes and preparing to be awake all night, there’s a knock on my door. 

I turn the knob, finding Roxas standing there. “Oh, hey…come on in.”

“Hey,” he mumbles halfheartedly, striding past me. He has a backpack slung over his shoulder, which strikes me as odd. 

“What’s up?” I offer, trying not to mention the backpack.

“Can I...crash at your place for a while?” Roxas asks, dropping his backpack on the floor near the couch. 

“Uh, sure. Does Ven know? Or, is there something wrong between you and Ven…?” I ask. 

He sighs, plopping down on the couch. “No, it’s just....Ven doesn’t really understand all this vampire stuff. It’s not like he’s being a jerk about it, he’s just not really getting it, y’know? And I don’t wanna bother him with it, so I just stay quiet, but then he starts doing that brother thing where he’s always asking me if I’m okay, and I tell him I’m fine, and then…” 

It’s like I’ve opened the floodgates; I’m sure had he asked me the same thing, I would’ve told him all my problems, too.

“I get you.” I tell him, and he looks surprised at me. He doesn’t try to refute me, doesn't try to tell me that I don’t really get it, just...stares. I hadn’t given him a lot of credit around Lea, but it seems Roxas has grown up. 

I met Ven in my freshman year of college, when Roxas was a bad-tempered, pimply freshman in high school. I didn’t realize it then, but it occurs to me that his ill temper was more than likely accredited to his mother’s death. Ven never seemed unnaturally upset, but maybe I had just been blind then. 

But now, Roxas was stuck between teenage-hood and adulthood, forever eighteen, a high school senior immortalized. Though his mind would mature for as long as he “lived”, he’d never quite lose the leftover baby-fat on his face, never quite have a strong jaw. 

I take a seat next to him. “I...I didn’t realize you’d lost your mom when you were - what? - fifteen.” 

He shrugs. “It happens, I guess. I’m glad I never had a terminal illness, otherwise this vampire thing would be another layer of Hell.”

He glances at his phone, checking the time. “Ven’s probably asleep by now. I don’t know what to do now that I can stay up super late. I want to play video games and stuff, but I don’t wanna wake him up.”

“You can always use my Netflix account,” I offer. “And if you wanna use that here, go ahead. Obviously I’ll be up at the same time you will.”

He allows himself a minute smile. “Thanks.”

I rise to my feet. “You hungry? I’ve got some ground beef in the fridge, I can make medium-rare burgers.” 

“Nah, not really.” He dismisses. 

“Well, I’m hungry, so I’m gonna make myself something.” I head toward the kitchen when I hear him turn on the TV. 

It’s weird having someone else live in my apartment, but it’s a good kind of weird. 

Ven calls me at ten in the morning. 

“Is Roxas with you?” His voice sounds panicked. “He’s not at Terra and Aqua’s -” 

“Yeah, he’s with me.”

A sigh of relief. “Oh thank God. I didn’t even realize he’d left until I woke up.” 

“He wants to crash at my place for a few days, I’m sure he’ll be back.” I assure him.

“Is he mad at me? Was it something I did?” He wonders anxiously. 

“Nah, he’s not mad. I think...I think he just wants someone to relate to with all this vampire stuff. Don’t take it personally, he said he just doesn’t wanna bother you.” The second I had admitted it, I knew it sounded wrong. 

“He’s not bothering me at all!” Ven insists. 

I quickly explain, “It’s not that, he’s just...he wants someone that fully understands. And to be honest, I’ve needed someone to talk to about my problems, too. Don’t worry, I think it’ll be good for the both of us. And, I’m sure he’ll come soon. It’s nothing against you Ven, I promise.” 

Ven seems a little reluctant, but he finally says, “Okay. Take care of him, okay?”

“I will.” I promise. “See ya later, Ven.”

“See ya. And...thanks.”

“No problem; bye.” 

Roxas walks into the room, rubbing his eyes. He’s probably about to crash. “Was that Ven?”

“Yeah, did you not tell him you left?” I ask. 

He shifts on his feet. “I didn’t wanna bother him…”

I decide not to berate him. “Get some sleep, okay?” 

He nods, trudging off to the couch. I amble off to my room, deciding to get some sleep for myself. 

The car parks in front of the gym again, it’s become routine now. But instead of the flight hangar, Lea takes us somewhere else.

The room is set up like a boxing ring, a single blacklight washing the ring in purple light. Neon ropes keep the potential combatants caged. 

Lea jumps into the ring. “We’re gonna try a different form today. I want you two to turn into wolves and fight.”

“We can’t fight each other,” Roxas waves his hand toward me.

Lea’s eyes flash venom green. “Why not?”

I continue Roxas’s thought. “He’s right, what if we hurt each other?”

“I’ll interfere if I think it’s starting to get bad.” Lea assures. “Close your eyes...focus…”

Instead of a bat, I imagine myself becoming a wolf. Most of the time, transforming hasn’t felt like anything, but an instant pain envelops me. Squeezing my eyes shut, I try to push past the pain, but it’s useless. I open my eyes, losing my focus. 

“Don’t stop!” Lea warns.

I glance at my hands, where thick blue fur has begun to sprout. But the transformation isn’t complete; I still have human hands, fingers tipped with bloody, budding claws. 

My breath is shallow, my heart is palpitating. I’m falling, the linoleum mat cold and uninviting. 

“Isa? Isa!” Lea’s voice is distant, fading…

I wake on the same linoleum floor, a damp cloth on my head. 

“Wha…? Wha’happen…?” My words are slurred in my lethargy as I attempt to sit up. 

“Whoa, don’t sit up.” Lea presses a hand to my chest. 

I turn my head, noticing a curled-up Roxas in the opposite corner. 

“Wha’s wrong…?” I point weakly.

“Neither of you transformed,” he explains. “It’s okay, wolf form takes a lot. I should’ve gone to cat form or something next…”

“Hurts…” I mutter, closing my eyes. 

“Don’t worry, I won’t make you try again. Not today.” He murmurs, stroking my hair. 

Not today, I think. Maybe not ever…

Lea drives us back to my apartment, where our exhaustion tempts us to sleep. 

Roxas rummages through his bag, looking for something. “I think I’ll go home tomorrow, I’m out of clean clothes.” 

I enjoyed his company, but I know I can’t be there for him forever. “Are you sure?” 

“Yeah, I owe Ven some apologies anyway.” Roxas decides. “Thanks for letting me stay here, for letting me sleep without messing up someone else’s schedule.” 

I smile at him. “No problem. You’re always welcome here.” 

He smiles back, something I haven’t really seen from him since he became a vampire. “Goodnight, Isa.”

“Night, Roxas.” 


	11. The Night My Fangs Came In (or how to console a grieving friend)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Roxas starts the chapter and it changes to Isa

I didn’t wait too long to return home. At around five in the morning, I silently exit Isa’s apartment, leaving behind a note of thanks.

Creeping back into the house, I check to make sure Ven isn’t awake. Almost sure that the house is still asleep, I take a slightly louder step into the house. 

“Rox?” 

The shudder runs through me, like the many times I’ve snuck back into the house after being out past curfew. “Nearly scared the shit out of me, Ven…” I chuckle.

My brother enters the foyer, rubbing his eyes. Dark circles underneath tell me he hasn’t slept well for days. “Did you have fun at Isa’s?” 

“Yeah, I guess,” I mumble. “I’m sorry Ven, I just...I needed someone to understand.” 

He dismisses my worry. “It’s okay, I do understand that, at least. I know I haven’t been as supportive as I could be, but I really will try harder.”

I chuckle softly. “You really did take over Mom’s job, huh?” 

He smiles weakly. “I guess. Get some sleep, okay?”

“Only if you do, too,” I counter. “Have you gotten any sleep since I left?”

He shakes his head. 

“You’re gonna get as sick as Mom,” I warn. 

“It’s the price I pay for wanting to care for my little brother.” Ven admits. “G’night, Rox.” 

“Night, Ven.”

At ten PM, I wake with a deep, intense ache in my mouth, like the way my middle school braces used to feel when they shifted my teeth like tectonic plates. 

I hold my mouth as I enter the bathroom, flicking on the harsh lights. Reluctantly, I open my mouth. It’s as I suspected: my canines are elongated, sharper, and my tongue craves the taste of blood. 

Anxious and aggravated, I let out a guttural scream, melting onto the bathroom floor.

Ven’s footsteps come, flinging open the bathroom door. He falls to his knees. “Roxas, what’s wrong?”

A familiar voice shouts, “Go away!” It’s the way I used to scream when our mother passed, when I was a hormone-ridden teenager, wanting solitude in place of reliable comfort. How I took her presence for granted... “It’s too dangerous!”

“Roxas, please just let me help you!” Ven reaches for me but I smack his hand away. 

“Please, I don’t want to hurt you!” I beg, crying now. 

Ven laughs halfheartedly. “Rox, I don’t care. Just let me hold you…”

My body’s trembling, but Ven snakes his arms around me. I don’t stop him, I let myself sit up into his embrace.

“It hurts...and I’m so hungry…” I weep. 

“It’s gonna be okay,” he mumbles, “when you calm down, I’ll go to the kitchen and get you something to - ACK!”

Almost involuntarily, I had lunged for his neck, sinking my fangs into his flesh. My fist closes around his shirt, the crucifix underneath burning hot on my fingers, trying to repel me. 

But I don’t care, I  _ can’t  _ care. I can’t help myself. It’s like I’m permanently attached to him until the feast is over. Tears are still rolling down my cheeks as I drain his blood, the sickly sweetness on my tongue. 

In shaky breaths, Ven gasps his last words to me. “‘I’m sorry I couldn’t keep you safe, Roxas...I love you, I know it’s not your fault. I believe in God, and I’ll see Mom soon. We’ll be watching over you. We’ll always love you. I’ll always...love you…”

I make a whimpering noise deep in my throat as the tears drip down my cheeks. I wish I could stop, I wish I could stop… 

He slumps, eyes closed, skin milk-white and drained of every last drop. I detach myself slowly, blood still dripping from my fangs. It didn’t seem that long, but in just a few short moments, I had completely drained his body. 

His embrace couldn’t stop the shaking; if anything, I’m shaking worse now. 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry…” I sob, my trembling fingers running through his hair, caressing his skin. “Ventus...I shouldn’t have stayed out late…” 

I trace the bite mark on his neck, the last drops of blood streaming out. It wasn’t worth it. 

Still, he looks peaceful under the bathroom lights. It’s almost hard to believe a horrible creature like me hadn’t killed him. I don’t even know what to do with his body, except hold his limp hand. 

I nearly drop my phone trying to extract it from my pocket and call Lea. His grainy voice answers. “Hello?”

“Lea? My fangs came in…”

The cleanup crew, Lea, and I arrive at Ven’s place at midnight. 

“What are they gonna do with his body?” Roxas demands, watching the two burly goblin men zipping up the corpse of my college friend in a body bag. 

“Sneak him into a morgue, file a fake autopsy, the works,” Lea explains. He’s awfully casually about it. 

Furious, Roxas shouts. “That’s it? I fucking murdered my brother!” 

Lea hushes him. “Keep it down, you want the neighbors to hear?” 

“So what? They won’t find me, they won’t believe me!” Roxas clenches his fist, whirling around to face the body bag. 

“Why didn’t you struggle? Why didn’t you resist? Your fucking crucifixes, your holy water, your churches and pieties...why didn’t you just kill me?” His voice grows hoarse as he screams, falling to his knees. “You fucking...coward…” 

Lea reaches to touch his shoulder, but Roxas smacks his hand away. 

“They... _ they _ did this to me. I’m no better than the Organization.” He mutters, furiously wiping away his tears. 

“That’s not true, I told you that this could happen,” Lea assures, kneeling down to him. I sit on my knees on Roxas’s opposite side. 

“I should’ve just stayed at your place,” Roxas says to me. “I should’ve just stayed with the Organization in the first place. I shouldn’t have let Xion rescue me.” 

“There’s nothing you can do about it now, Roxas.” I remind him. “It’s gonna be okay. We’re here for you.”

Roxas groans, pulling at his hair. “Ven was always here for me. I took him - and Mom - for granted.” 

He leans on me, resting his head on my shoulder. I stroke his hair, glancing at Lea. Even the best cleanup crew couldn’t fix this. 

Ven’s funeral was held the days following the incident. Roxas concocted a painfully-convincing alibi, and paired with a touch of Lea’s magic, the police ruled off Ven’s death as some tragic accident. 

As a crude slap-in-the-face, a large cross hung on the wall above Ven’s open casket. Roxas couldn’t even enter the room without its holy presence causing him even more anxiety. 

During the visitation, I realized that this was the first time I’d seen Terra and Aqua for a long time. We sat around in a side room, another small cross on the wall making my skin itch (luckily for me, Roxas’s aversion to the main room had let me know there was a holy object present, and I could cover my eyes accordingly. Still, it made me anxious, too). Gentle piano music wafted between the rooms, which hardly put any of us at ease. 

“He looked peaceful,” Terra murmured, hiding his tears. Aqua nodded in agreement. 

In the main room behind me, some of Ven’s relatives were whispering just a bit too loudly over their distaste for Roxas’s absence:

_ “Can you believe…?” _ _   
_ _ “The nerve of that child…” _

_ “This is just like Celes’s funeral…” _

I whirled around, finding two old ladies muttering. Meeting eyes with me, they silenced themselves quickly. 

The day of the funeral hadn’t been much better. Roxas fidgeted so hard in his seat that I thought he’d break it for sure. He managed to compose himself for a few seconds to try to say some words about Ven, but in the midst he muttered “I’m sorry, I can’t do this” and ran off. 

The funeral attendees began to mutter in hushed voices. The same pair of old ladies “tsk-tsked” at Roxas’s behavior, so much so that whipped around in my seat and told them to shut up. That barely helped; they just changed the subject of their twittering to me.

I decided to take Roxas’s place, finishing his thoughts. The cross on the wall has started to agitate me, as well, and pretty soon I can barely stand up here. I excuse myself, heading in the same direction Roxas went. 

I found him outside, talking to a black-haired girl in a sleek black dress. I thought it was the funeral home director, until I realized she wasn’t. I watched them silently, neither of them noticing my presence. 

The funeral ended after a few more anecdotes about Ven’s life, but I hadn’t noticed until Lea’s hand rested on my shoulder.

“Who’s Roxas talking to?” Lea nodded, but before I could answer, he seemed to recognize her immediately. His face paled, as if he had seen a ghost (maybe he did?). 

He ran towards the girl, whose head turned to face us. Her eyes were like pure gold.

At the sight of Lea, the girl quickly rushed to her car, driving off. 

“HEY!” Lea shouted. He was about to shapeshift when the rest of the funeral guests came out of the funeral home. He approached Roxas, who seemed embarrassed to find out Lea had recognized the girl. 

“Who were you talking to just then?” Lea demanded, grabbing Roxas’s shoulders. 

“No one important,” Roxas muttered. 

“Bullshit, Rox, I’d recognize those eyes anywhere.” Lea spat through gritted teeth. 

“I said she wasn’t important, okay?” Roxas shoved Lea’s hands away. “Stop making me look more like a delinquent in front of my relatives, okay? Thanks for coming and all that, but can you just leave me alone?” 

Roxas stormed off, heading toward Naminé’s car. 

“Who was that, Lea?” I asked.

He shook his head. “Just...thought it was someone I knew…”

It’s another Sunday night. I’m on my hands and knees on the boxing ring floor, attempting transformation again. 

“Don’t hurt yourself, Isa, you don’t have to do this,” Lea offers cautiously.

“I can do it, just  _ shut up! _ ” I growl, my eyes clenched shut. 

The pain is sharp and stinging, burning. I’m screaming. I hear Roxas screaming next to me, writhing, forcing myself to complete the transformation.

I open my eyes. Gasping, sweating, panting, my tongue hangs from my elongated jaw. 

“Good, good boy…” Lea’s hand tousles the fur on my head. 

It’s taken Roxas and me weeks to reach the full transformation. He’s laying in a heap of blond fur, back heaving. 

“Are you two game for sparring?” Lea asks scratching between my ears. 

I whine deep in my throat.  _ Do we have to? _

“You can fight me first.” Lea transforms before us, seamlessly melting from human to wolf. He yips at me, nipping at my feet - er, paws. Begrudgingly, I rise. 

We circle each other on the edge of the ring, eyeing each other. He allows me to take the first attack. Halfheartedly, I snap my jaws at him, but it isn’t enough to do anything. I collapse into a pile, too exhausted. Lea returns to his human form, kneeling down and petting my head. I rest my head on his thighs. He assures me, “We’ll get there, we’ll get there.”

I look over to Roxas, who only sustained the transformation for a few seconds. He’s curled up in a ball on the mat, sweating and breathing labored.

I allow myself to shrink back into human form. My head still rests in Lea’s lap, my forehead beaded with sweat. 

It’s nearly the end of summer and somehow it feels as if I’ve accomplished nothing. 


	12. vampire parenting for dummies

Days continue to pass and my fangs still haven’t come in. It’s making me even more anxious. 

Shortly after Ven’s funeral, Aqua and Terra had offered to treat me to lunch, an honest attempt to revive the old days, but I couldn’t let them become my next victims if my fangs did come in.

The weekly trips to the gym have slowly improved, and Roxas and I are soon able to hold our wolf forms for a few minutes.

Often during training, I began to notice Roxas pushing himself harder, to the brink of exhaustion. I figure it’s just how he’s letting off steam from Ven’s death, but it worries me. 

In our prolonged states, Lea pushes us to spar with him. I hadn’t expected to learn how to fight like a wolf and not like a human in a wolf costume, but somehow the actions feel inherited. Our skills have been improving, as we prepare for whatever war Lea can feel brewing. 

“I want you two to fight each other.” Lea instructs, jumping out of the ring. “You two have had the same training, so you can help each other improve. Also, I pulled a muscle last time and it still hurts.”

I glance at Roxas uneasily, still not quite sure I can bring myself to fight him. But, straight-faced and adamant, Roxas agrees. 

We transform, trudging to opposite sides of the boxing ring to start. Roxas’s eyes flash dangerously at me, and the regret seeps in. 

“1...2...3...FIGHT!”

Roxas lunges at me, fangs bared. I leap to the side, springing toward him and knocking him off his feet - paws. 

Under my weight, he gnashes his teeth at me, strands of spit flying between the bone spikes. 

He manages to push me aside, rolling back onto his paws. We circle each other, waiting, anticipating the next move, eyes locked. 

Just as I’m about to leap, Roxas launches himself at me, knocking me back. The force isn’t enough to knock me off my paws, but he’s already coiling back, his muscles tight like a spring. 

I arch back ready to counterattack when he collides with me, knocking me to the ground. We roll for the length of the ring until he pins me instantly, but it doesn’t stop there. He gnashes at me again, fangs drawing closer and closer to my neck. 

“Roxas! Roxas, stop! I quit!” I bark, but he’s not stopping. I can’t exactly tap out with my paw. 

It occurs to me he’s driven by some kind of bloodthirsty rampage, and I’m helpless. My paws are pressed to his neck, trying to keep his jaws away. 

I whine, hoping I’m loud enough for Lea to hear. “Lea! Help! He won’t stop!” 

A blur of red collides into Roxas, pinning him. Lea’s snarling over him, waiting for him to transform back. 

My body shrinks, exhausted from the sudden change. 

I glance over to them, human Lea pinning a restless human Roxas underneath. 

“Rox, snap out of it!” Lea strikes his face, and Roxas quits squirming, shocked and wide-eyed. 

“I’m sorry,” he whimpers, the sweat dripping from his forehead. 

Lea cradles him in his arms, petting his hair like a mother comforting her frightened child. 

“I’m sorry,” he mumbles again. 

“You’re gonna be okay, I’m sorry I pushed you both to this,” Lea assures. He glances to me, extending his apology. 

With his last bit of strength, Roxas pushes Lea away, scrambling out of his embrace and jumping over the barrier. He runs off toward the locker room, but by the time Lea and I rise to our feet to catch him, he’s disappeared. 

“The car,” Lea huffs, nodding toward the gym’s entrance. 

We sprint to the entrance to find the car is still where we parked, but Roxas is nowhere to be found. 

“Ava, did you see that blond kid I’m always with?” Lea demands from the girl at the front desk. 

“I guess,” she answers dully. 

He slams his hand on the counter, a wad of bills underneath. He asks again, pressing each word dangerously. “Did. You. See. Him?” 

She glances at the bills. “You know...you don’t have to bribe me. I barely saw, but I think he ran by me. I heard the door close, but I was looking for some protein supplement in the back for someone else. I’m really sorry.”

Lea growls, leaning against the counter. “Dammit…” 

“Where do you think he could’ve gone?” I ask. 

The doorbell jingles, announcing another guest. To our shock, it’s a familiar face: Marluxia. “Looking for a little blond rascal?”

“What the hell did you do to him?” Lea demands, the wolfish snarling already revving in his throat. 

Marluxia chuckles. “I’ve done nothing to him, besides turn him into the horrific creature he is.” 

“Where is he?” Lea’s hand clenches the counter, which cracks under the strength of his hand. 

“In safe hands now, Lea. Don’t worry, Xehanort will see to it that he’s unharmed.” Marluxia assures.

The mention of that name turns Lea’s face paler. “Xehanort has him?” 

“He’ll be joining our ranks soon,” Marluxia replies, “as you will once again. You won’t be able to hide from us for long, not without the legal mortal protection in case you leave behind more bodies.” 

“What’s he talking about, Lea?” I whisper.

“I don’t know,” Lea mutters, “but I don’t like the sound of it.”

“Come now, Lea, who did you think pays the cleanup crews? Who erases the memories of unlucky mortals? Who disposes of the ones who can’t seem to forget?” Marluxia gestures broadly. “Xehanort has his ways of keeping our existence a secret, which won’t be needed soon.” 

Lea scoffs. “You’re kidding me...Xehanort is running a supernatural mafia? For what purpose? What could that musty corpse possibly want?” 

“Can’t you sense it, Lea? The seal will soon be destroyed, and the fissure will fully open. Supernatural creatures will rule and feast on humans once again, and we will assert ourselves as the master race.” Marluxia explains. 

“That’s horrible…” I shake my head. 

Marluxia regards me dangerously. “There’s no such thing as a good vampire, Isa; only the ones who refuse their true destinies.”

“How do you know my name?” I wonder, my stomach twisting. 

“Lea can’t hide you forever,” Marluxia says, “you might as well join us, or suffer Xehanort’s wrath.” 

“But I don’t understand, why can’t Xehanort just do without a few rogue do-gooders?” I gesture to Lea and myself. 

“Xehanort cannot allow any possible flaw in his plan, and therefore he must eliminate the traitors.” He unfurls his palm, a ball of dark magic generating inside. 

“GET DOWN!” Lea shouts, shoving me out of the way. 

He lands on top of me, just as the ball of magic hits the side of the wall. A loud “Oof” sound comes from Marluxia’s direction, and I sit up to find Ava has tackled him to the floor. 

“If you damage this place, it’s coming out of my paycheck. So I suggest you scram before my boss gets here and finds the remains of the shell you left behind splattered all over the floor.” She growls.

Marluxia chuckles, fading into a cloud of pink mist. He disappears into the atmosphere, and we cautiously rise from the ground. 

“Is...is he gone?” I ask. 

“I think so.” Lea answers. He turns to Ava, thanking her. 

She sweeps the bills off the counter and shoves them into her pocket. “It’s all part of the job, I guess.” 

Lea and I exit the gym, checking the parking lot for Marluxia, but there’s no sign of him. Frustrated, Lea kicks the gravel and runs his fingers through his hair. 

“I couldn’t keep him safe.” He mutters, wiping his hand over his face. 

“You did your best, Lea,” I assure. “I don’t think anyone could’ve prevented this.” 

“No...I think it’s time you learned how I became a vampire.” Lea decides.

“Didn’t you already tell me? You were in a frat with the Organization, right?” I recall.

He regards me darkly. “There’s more to it.” 


	13. How Lea Became a Vampire (or how to unload a tragic backstory)

I was twenty-four, but that was actually ten years ago. It was kinda late for me to join a frat since most people join one in their first few years of college, but the guy recruiting was so convincing. I realize now that this was because he was putting a spell on me. 

Demyx was the one at the recruiting desk. His spellcasting style is - interesting, to say the least - very modern, I guess. Rather than using charming, antiquated language of most vampires, he was always shouting, always chanting in that annoying frat guy way. I mean, it worked though, didn’t it, heh…

Anyway, they got me to join. The night they hazed me was the same night that Xion got turned, too. 

She and I had ended up at the same college, and she still struggled to make friends. She buried herself in her studies, but she still barely knew what she wanted to do. Even while I had slaved away in medical studies, it didn’t feel like so much a passion now and rather an expensive obligation as I prepared for grad school - I’m getting off-topic.

Demyx told me to bring a hot girl to their upcoming party. Did I find Xion hot? Not... _ conventionally _ , I guess. She’s cute. Obviously not my type, though. And she knew I wasn’t interested in her romantically - during that time, I wasn’t too open about my sexuality, and joining a frat seemed like one of the best covers. But the frat’s charms were too strong, and I desperately wanted to please them. Somehow I convinced Xion to come to the party with me - probably promising other cute girls or something; if I remember right, she said something about “liberating the other poor girls who had been dragged there”. 

They cornered Xion off with the other girls - the other  _ sacrifices _ \- and they congratulated me.

Demyx told me that since I brought the “cutest girl”, I got to meet “the big man himself”. Little did I know that that meant meeting Xehanort, who was locked up in an office in the frat house. 

I was pretty confused to say the least when I met a kind of older-looking man sitting in an office chair Bond villain-style. I thought maybe the frat guys had figured out my secret, and that this was a setup to get the shit beaten out of me. 

Xehanort approached me, just as I was headed to the door. He locked it with a spell, just from where he was sitting. He said something about knowing who I really was, and of course my fight-or-flight instinct immediately flared up. But his magic was powerful, and he put me at ease. He coaxed me into - honestly, I barely even remember - and the next thing I knew, he’d drained me of my human blood and turned me into a vampire. 

I think I’d passed out - I’d had a bit of alcohol in me when I met Xehanort - but I woke when I heard screaming. The office was empty except for me, and the door was unlocked. I ran downstairs to find most of the girls were passed out and being fed upon. Xion lay limp on a couch, and I picked her up and carried her out, but I was too late. 

Fast-forward to several months after the party: Xion and I began to go through the same biological changes - don’t give me that look, I know it sounds weird, but it’s true - and I was desperate to find out why. I scoured through so many medical textbooks to figure out what was happening to us. Xion thought it was maybe some kind of drug they gave her at the party having long-term effects, and pretty soon she stopped speaking to me. 

I returned home for the summer, lost and agitated. I decided to call my childhood friend Skuld to catch up, and maybe ease some of the tension that had built up. Not gonna lie, Skuld had a huge crush on me for the longest time until I told her I was gay. 

We went out to dinner, went back to her house, and started talking…

I got this awful pain in my mouth, and it scared her. She called 911, but they wouldn’t arrive for hours. 

She bent down to help me, but before I realized it, my fangs came in. I lunged for her, feeding off my first human.

I blacked out, and I couldn’t find Skuld’s body. I woke up in the same office where I’d met Xehanort, and I thought maybe 911 had arrived and taken Skuld’s body before I realized it.

I didn’t know how I’d gotten back on campus, and I started to get real worried. Xehanort assured me that they took care of the cleanup, that it was a grisly feeding. 

I demanded to know what I’d become, and why. Xehanort told me of the Organization, of their goals, and why they turned me. They saw potential in me, same with Xion. Under special circumstances, Xehanort would create Xion to become a tool for espionage. He gave her a special amulet that would allow people to forget interactions with her, thus rendering her practically invisible. 

I told him she’d never do it, that she’d never go to their side, and that neither would I. But Xehanort said he’d find a way for us to come crawling back to him, no matter what. 

I found out that their frat house sat directly on a tear in the seal, and that this was how they’d find their way into the human world. 

I finished my studies as quickly as I could, nearly graduating a semester early. I attended a medical school out-of-state, finding myself here. I thought I was safe, but little did I know that this was just the beginning.

The Organization had followed me, when Demyx’s family moved. Demyx had a younger brother, Hayner, who became friends with Roxas. Demyx used some kind of magic on his family to make them forget his age, and they sent him back to college so he could reuse his frat boy disguise. He convinced Hayner to bring some of his newly-graduated friends to attend a real college party. Roxas was one of those friends, wasn’t he?

I was leaving work when I saw a car full of drunk teenagers drive by, music blaring. The guy in the passenger seat was Demyx, and I recognized him immediately. I followed them, but I...I was a coward. I feared being entangled into the Organization again, that I didn’t stop them and rescue Roxas until it was too late. I don’t know what became of the other two kids Roxas was with.

Xion’s magic amulet had a flaw: that the Organization wasn’t immune to its magic. That’s how she was able to rescue Roxas from their clutches the first time. And now he’s gone back to them looking for answers, and it’s all my fault. 

Hours have passed, but the sky in this realm is still dark as midnight. I suppose time wouldn’t pass to day in a realm where creatures could potentially die from it. 

Lea stares down at the gravel, leaned against his car. “It’s all my fault.” 

“No, you can’t believe that.” I insist. “It seems to me that the Organization has been brewing trouble since the beginning of time. And not just the Organization, but mostly Xehanort. And if there’s anything that I’ve figured out, it’s that I have to help you take them down.”

Lea clenches a shaking fist, and slams it against the side of his car, putting a reasonably-sized dent into the door. “Don’t you get it? I don’t  _ want  _ you to help me! The reason I’m doing all this is because you’d be lost, you’d be like me! I don’t want anyone to go through what I did, alone and scared. But now that’s basically happened to Roxas, and I can’t let it happen to anyone else. Please, Isa, if you love me, you’ll listen to me.”

His words hit me like a silver bullet. “No...I won’t. I can’t let you run from the Organization like a hunted animal. I’ll stand by you, no matter what.”

“Why can’t you just let me destroy myself?!” Lea screams, his voice making my stomach turn. “I don’t want your help, I just wanted to keep you safe! If anyone’s gonna take on the Organization, it’s gonna be me, alone. I can’t let them extend their claws to anyone else.”

Anger boils inside me. “Are you trying to be a hero or something? Because if you are, you’d at least let me help you! You can’t just throw yourself at them, hoping for the best. If you fail alone, you’ll be doing more damage to the world than having someone help! What is all of this to you?” I gesture to the gym, and to myself. “Is this all really just redemption, or is it something else?”

Lea shifts on his feet, weighing his answer. “You just...don’t get it.”

“Then tell me what I don’t get, Lea! What is it I don’t understand?” I demand. 

He sighs in defeat. “If I can manage to take down the Organization, I’m going to seal the barrier forever by killing them, and then myself.” 

My stomach drops. “What? You...this whole time, you were preparing me for your grand suicide?”

“No...this...you...weren’t part of the plan, originally. But when my cravings got to me, I knew I couldn’t leave you in the dark. But I also couldn’t let the Organization get away with their plans.” Lea admits. “I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you sooner. You were the first person to make me rethink my choice, even if just for a moment. But I know that’s impossible with Xehanort still on my ass.”

He steps toward me. “So...are you going to let me go, or will you try and stop me?” 

Lea shifts, transforming seamlessly into his wolf form. 

I mirror him, and we circle each other, anticipating each other’s first move. He lunges at me, to my surprise, going for my neck. The force of his lunge rolls him over me briefly, and I gain my footing. As he rolls back onto his paws, our jaws hang open, dancing around each other as we parry the other’s bite. He suddenly pedals his front paws, forward, and I lose my balance, falling onto my back. He pushes me down, keeping me pinned beneath him. Under his weight, I melt back to human form, hands pressed to paws, struggling to keep his snapping jaws off me. 

“Lea, please! Please, just let me…” I beg.

He stops gnashing at my throat, but he remains in wolf form. 

“I just want to help you, Lea. You don’t have to be alone anymore. Even if...even if you die, I want to be by your side! No more running from people who care about you!” I squeeze his paws. 

Lea shakes his head, shrugging himself free of my grasp and transforming into a firetruck-red bat. He’s flitting out toward the forest as I transform to follow him. I’m catching up to him, screeching into the darkness ahead to make sure he’s in front of me, as well as avoiding trees. 

The red bat ducks behind a tree, and I lose sight of him. I dive behind the same tree, but he’s gone. There’s a thud noise, and I realize he’s turned back into a human. Getting just low enough, I turn back to human form as well, sprinting after him. 

He jumps into his car, revving the engine and driving away into the night.

“Lea!” I shout, but he’s gone. I kick the gravel and mutter a curse to myself. I run my fingers through my hair, assessing my situation. I could turn back into a bat and fly home, I guess. 

Before I transform, I hear a car door slam shut. Whirling around, I find a girl with long black hair and gold eyes. I recognize her as the girl who spoke to Roxas at Ven’s funeral.

I’m already on-edge, but before I can straight-up punch her, she asks, “It seems your ride has left you stranded. I could give you a ride, for a price.” 

“Fuck it, I’ll fly home,” I mutter. 

With a pop, I turn back into a bat, making off choppily toward the end of the forest. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lea starts the chapter and changes to Isa


	14. how to confess your undying love for someone

Roxas is gone, Lea is gone, and I’m all alone. I’m too scared to speak to my mortal friends for fear of killing them, but my human loneliness overpowers my fears. 

I call Terra, despite the hour. 

“Hey, what’s up?” His voice is gruff with sleep, but he still sounds vaguely perky. 

“Can I crash at your place?” I ask. 

“Uh, sure I guess.” He answers. “I’ll see you soon.”

I don’t bother starting my car, choosing to fly to his apartment instead. He opens the door, rubbing sleep out of his eyes, and gestures to the couch. 

I flop down immediately, burying my face in a pillow and groaning loudly. 

“What’s wrong?” Terra sits down in the chair next to me, patting my head. 

“Lea and I got in a fight, and Roxas ran away and is in the clutches of an evil vampire mafia.” I explain flatly. 

Terra’s mouth hangs open as he processes my words. “Uh...what?”

I repeat myself, emphasizing what happened to Roxas. 

“Okaaay…” Terra nods slowly. “Now what?”

“Lea wants to take out the vampire mafia all by himself, sealing the barrier that keeps the vampires separated from the humans with his life.” I shift my head, facing Terra. 

“So...he broke up with you?” Aqua’s voice rings out from the hallway. 

I snort. “Broke up? I don’t even think he considered us as dating.” 

“I’m sorry, Isa.” Terra’s hand strokes my hair. “For what it’s worth, I’ll swallow my fear of vampires and help you two take them out.” 

“He doesn’t want help,” I mumble, “that’s why we got into a fight.” 

“Well, you can’t separate a man and his desire to die for a noble cause.” Aqua shrugs. “I’m gonna go back to bed, I have work in a few hours. Sleep well, Isa.” 

“I’ll stay here with you,” Terra offers. 

“Don’t you have work?” I ask. 

“No, not until tomorrow.” He replies. 

“You must still be tired, though,” I point out. 

He chuckles. “Nah, I’m always up by daybreak, even if I don’t set an alarm, I just wake up this early normally.”

“How the hell do you even function?” I wonder. “Then again, my sleep schedule is completely reversed because of this vampire stuff.” 

A realization hits me: while I had left, I’d forgotten to bring my spf 500 sunscreen with me. 

“Dammit,” I mutter aloud. 

“What?”

“I forgot my special sunscreen that allows me to go outside without shriveling up like bacon.” I explain. “Then again, I’ll probably just sleep all day and go back home at night.” 

“You can stay as long as you want.” Terra says. “I know you were scared because you might turn us into vampires, but I trust you not to.”

I offer him a weak smile. “It’s not that I would turn you, it’s that I might accidentally kill you if my fangs come in.” 

Terra purses his lips. “Oh.”

“Don’t worry, if that happens, I’ll run home as fast as possible to avoid killing anyone.” I assure him. 

“But even then, you’ll be all alone and suffering, won’t you? Isn’t that what really happened to Ven?” Terra recalls. 

“Unfortunately,” I agree. “And trust me, I’d much rather be alone and suffering than have the guilt of knowing I killed two of my best friends.” 

“Well, if you get hungry, there’s some raw beef in the fridge.” Terra nods his head toward the kitchen. “I’ll leave you to get some sleep.”

“Thanks, Terra.” I smile at him. 

He throws his big, goofy smile at me. “It’s no problem, Isa.”

I turn over on my side, burying my face in the couch and drifting off to sleep. 

I ended up sleeping all day, waking at midnight with an awful, aching pain in my mouth.

Oh... _ oh no. _

Panicked, I roll off the couch, scrambling to my feet. I gotta get out of here, before something bad happens. But my entire body is trembling with hunger, craving the taste of blood. 

I sprint to the fridge, throwing the door open with almost too much force, rummaging around inside until I find the packet of raw beef Terra told me about earlier. I scarf down the slimy beef, but the taste of cow blood isn’t enough to satisfy me. 

My body feels like it’s on autopilot, creeping toward Terra and Aqua’s bedroom.

_ No, please, please...don’t let me kill my two best friends… _

I open the door, the hinges creaking. The couple in bed barely move, remaining peaceful.

_ No...no...no… _

I tiptoe over to Terra’s side. It’s like my hunger is choosing its victim for me, making it easy on myself. 

A deep, resounding voice in my head goads me on:  _ Yes, Isa, carefully… _

That’s not my usual head voice, it sounds like someone else. But I’m not wasting time on figuring out who’s whispering into my thoughts. 

I hover over Terra, shaking. Can I really do this, can I really suck the blood of my best friend?

The hunger is too wild, I need human blood. Just a taste, just a sample. I’m brushing his hair back as his eyes flutter open.

Startled, I transform into a bat, flapping wildly around the room.

Terra screams (like a little girl), waking Aqua. “THERE’S A BAT!”

“Jesus Christ, Terra,” Aqua grumbles, sitting up. She turns around, slipping the pillowcase off her pillow. “Luckily I learned how to get rid of bats a long time ago.”

She leaps at me, scooping me up in the pillowcase and shutting it around me. Inside the pillowcase, I feel shifting as Aqua steps out of bed. I start to transform back, and Aqua drops the pillowcase. Returning to human form, the pillowcase is stuck around my feet. 

“Isa?” Terra asks, sitting up. Aqua flicks on the lightswitch. 

“Stay away from me!” I demand, holding a hand out. “My fangs are in, I don’t want to kill you!”

He falters. “Isa...you...did you try to suck my blood?” 

The voice in my head is shouting now.  _ You still have a chance! Take the girl instead, your hunger is too great to dawdle! _

“No, I won’t! I won’t do it!” I shout back, holding my head in my hands. 

“Isa, what’s going on?” Aqua tries to step toward me, but I kick myself farther back. 

“Don’t come near me! I refuse to pass on this curse, I refuse to kill my best friends!” I’m screaming, clutching the carpet in my fingers. 

Desperately, I bite my own hand, lapping up the blood from the wound. The taste of my own blood is sour, but it’s still technically human-ish blood. Somehow, miraculously, it’s enough.

When I’m finished, I’m sitting on the floor, panting. 

“Are you alright?” Aqua offers, kneeling to help me. 

“I...I think so…” I examine my own hand, my blood soon replenishing the appendage like a balloon swelling with water. The blood near the bite clots, scabbing over. “Huh...who knew that vampires could heal so quickly?”

“Who knew that you could substitute your own blood?” Terra points out. “Who were you screaming at?”

“There was this voice in my head, goading me to kill you two,” I explain, “it wasn’t my own, it sounded deeper.”

“Do you think it was the leader of that vampire mafia you were telling me about?” Terra asks. 

I stare at my hand. “Maybe, but I don’t think I’ve ever met him. I don’t know how his voice would be able to get in my head.” 

“Well...what now?” Terra crosses his arms tightly. 

“You two aren’t upset that I tried to kill you?” I ask in awe.

“No, not really. I mean, you couldn’t help it.” Aqua replies. “You’re our best friend, Isa, we know there’s no way you’d intentionally hurt us.” 

I offer them a half-hearted smile. “You two should go back to sleep, I’m sorry I woke you up.”

“I don’t think I’ll ever be able to sleep again,” Terra laughs. 

“I’ll protect you while you sleep.” I promise them. “I won’t let them get to you, ever.”

Terra glances at Aqua unsurely, to which Aqua replies, “I don’t know about you, but that little episode made me way more tired. Wake me up in time for work.” 

She slips into bed, turning out the light. That leaves Terra and me sitting on the floor. 

“Remember when we were little, and we didn’t think we’d still be together once high school ended?” Terra murmurs, drawing his knees close to him. “It’s a miracle we’ve been together this long.”

“Remember when you finally asked Aqua out?” I chuckle. “It only took you twelve years.” 

Terra nudges me lightly. “Hey! Remember when you went out with Leon as a joke?”

I roll my eyes. “God, don’t remind me; that went horrible. Remember when I stole our biology teacher’s pet lizard, and you cried until I gave it back?”

“I thought you were gonna get expelled!” Terra cries indignantly. “You don’t realize that I couldn’t imagine a world without you.”

My heart pangs a bit. “You know...I had a crush on you once.”

He turns his head swiftly to me, obviously flabbergasted. “You  _ what _ ?!”

I snort. “Yeah, it’s a little weird how I could fall for such an idiot. Then again, that’s mostly the reason.”

“You had a crush on me?” Terra repeats. 

“Yep, dumb jock muscles and all,” I affirm.

He stares into space. “Wow…”

“Why are you so surprised? Did you really not know?” I ask. 

“No, it’s not that, it’s just...I looked up to you for years, even if I didn’t want to admit it. You were smart, every teacher liked you and told you you were going places...I wanted to be like you.” He explains.

I bite my lip softly. “It’s funny, I always looked up to you…”

“To me?” He asks in disbelief. “Why me?”

“You were always so nice, so good at making friends. You attracted everyone like a magnet. I wanted to be like that, not so cold and distrusting.” I admit. “And I fear that my distrust is what pushed Lea away…”

He places a hand on my back. “He’ll come back.”

I shake my head. “How do you know?”

He shrugs. “I just do, okay? The whole reason Lea even bothered to help you and Roxas was because he cared. Even if he felt guilty for turning you, it couldn’t have been just guilt spurring him to do this.”

“Thanks, but I don’t really want to instill false hope into myself.” I pull my knees close to my body, withdrawing from the encroaching feelings of hurt. 

“There’s nothing wrong with a little hope, even if it’s false.” Terra offers. “I’m gonna try to get some sleep. You don’t have to protect us.”

“I’m gonna,” I assure him, “it’s not like I have anything better to do at this hour.”

As he slides under the blankets, he turns to me. “You know...I love you - as a best friend, of course.”

I smile back at him. “I love you too, Terra. Sleep well.”

There’s shuffling as he pulls the covers over his head, and I pick myself off the floor, settling at the foot of the bed like a watchdog. 

All is quiet, until the voice returns. 

_ You were so close, Isa...but you were clever to discover an alternative. _

“Who are you, what do you want?” I ask aloud, and the sheets rustle. 

_ I am no one of any importance,  _ the voice replies. 

_ Bullshit,  _ I respond internally,  _ why would you want me to kill my best friends if you were no one of any importance? And how did you get into my head? _

_ You seek answers, do you not? All will be answered soon, when the barrier is broken and we are free to roam once again.  _

_ You’re wrong, you’ll never get that power _ . I clench the blankets in my fist. 

_ Our sacrifices are almost complete, _ the voice announces,  _ by sunrise tomorrow, Axel and Roxas will be no more, and neither will you.  _

Lea. 

_ What have you done with them? How can I find them?  _ I demand. 

_ All in good time, Isa. All in good time… _

I slam my fist against the sheet, cursing under my breath. Glancing at the window, I notice the sun is just beginning to stretch its rays across the cityscape. In twenty-four hours, this world will be destroyed. 

The clock is ticking, so I immediately hit the sack to rest up for the long night ahead. 


	15. how to kill a vampire

**I’m sorry this is a little short notice, but we don’t have a lot of time. Long story short, Lea and Roxas have been kidnapped by the vampire mafia, and there’s a huge plot to open this rift between our world and theirs, which will unleash all the bloodthirsty creatures of the other world. And it’s all gonna happen tonight. Meet at Terra and Aqua’s apartment as soon as you can. Bring anything you think might help. I’ll see you there. **

Naminé and Xion arrive just as the sun is setting. Briefly, a shiver passes through me as I remember Ven won’t respond, but he was still in the group chat. 

“Glad you could make it,” I greet them at the door. 

“Finally, I get to take down the motherfuckers who turned me.” Xion cracks her knuckles. 

I spread out a list of our equipment. “Okay guys, we don’t have a lot of time left. Terra and Aqua were fortunate enough to buy as much garlic as casually as possible, so we’ve got that down. They’ve also gone through the box of stuff they got from Ven’s house when they were cleaning it out, which contains a lot of holy items. They’ve also been up all night whittling stakes for us to drive into the Organization’s hearts, which will finish them off. Xion and I are armed with our magic. Nami, what’cha got?” 

Naminé throws me a baffled glance. “You really don’t know what I can do, huh? The vampires and demons are gonna crawl out of their world in the rift that’s, like, on my bedroom wall. I’ve been researching closing spells and rituals and I’m pretty sure I could close the hole.” 

Brief panic flashes inside me. “ _ Pretty  _ sure? You have to be more than sure, you have to be positive. This could potentially destroy the human race!”    
“Thanks for not putting pressure on me,” she mutters. 

I sigh. “I’m sorry, I’m just a little...stressed.”

Xion snorts. “Ya think?”

Terra and Aqua walk in, carrying their boxes of weaponry. Clumsy as he is, Terra trips and spills his box of garlic on the table, and one of the bulbs rolls off and hits me in the hand. I recoil, hissing as the garlic burns my skin.

“Sorry man,” Terra says earnestly, picking up the garlic and putting the bulbs back in the box. 

Rubbing my hand, I dismiss his clumsiness. “Okay, so here’s the plan: we’re gonna enter the portal to the other side, while Naminé waits behind until we all pop out of the portal after kicking vampire ass.”

Naminé throws her hand up, halting me. “I’m not waiting behind, what if they hurt Xion?”

Xion runs her hand through Naminé’s hair. “Don’t worry babe, I’m a big vampire: I can kill my own prey and everything.”

Naminé takes Xion’s hand, squeezing it. “Okay, I’ll stay behind and wait for you. But don’t get trapped in the barrier when I seal it, okay? Promise me?”

“I promise,” Xion mumbles, nuzzling against her girlfriend’s cheek. 

I hadn’t thought about that until now: getting stuck on the wrong side of the barrier. I don’t know how this fight will go, but all I can hope for is that Terra, Aqua, and Naminé’s world is safe from the one I belong to. 

“So Naminé will wait for us to come back, and...what do we do? Pelt the Organization with garlic bulbs?” Terra asks, his voice snapping me back to reality. 

“Yeah, basically. I mean, if you can deal the finishing blow, by all means, go for it. Lea and I won’t be able to take on twelve at a time.” Just mentioning his name makes me a little sad. I don’t know what kind of state Lea is in right now; for all I know, we could be down two forces if Roxas isn’t going to fight by our side. 

I roll up the list. “Okay, we don’t have a lot of time. Let’s pack up and get going.”

Terra fixes his crudely-whittled stakes to a toy bandolier, strapping himself up. Taking from the box of garlic, he stuffs the pockets of his cargo pants full of garlic bulbs. He ties a red bandanna around his head. 

“You look like an idiot,” I tease him.

“I don’t want to mess with opening up a backpack and having to rummage through it to find the thing I need,” Terra explains. 

“I guess that’s fair. Do you have another bandolier?” I ask. 

He scratches the back of his head. “No…”

I roll my eyes, turning to my backpack. 

_ I’ll be there soon, Lea. Just hold on a little longer. _

_ I didn’t think you’d come to my rescue _ , his voice answers. 

“Wait, Lea?” I perk up, searching for the source of his voice. 

_ No dummy, I’m still in the other realm. I just thought I’d let you know I’m good, and that I’m waiting for you,  _ Lea says, his voice holding a hint of - is that, admiration?

_ Don’t worry Lea, I’m on my way. _ I finish zipping my backpack and sling it over my shoulder. “Let’s go kick some undead ass!”

Naminé unlocks her front door, ushering us inside. The lights are off, which make the cathartic sanctuary that I’ve always known to comfort me unsettling. She leads us to a wall covered in polaroids of different subjects: mostly pictures of household items that I assumed Xion had been lounging on, with a hand-painted Xion drawn over the film’s packaging; some faded pictures of Shadow; nature pictures from the woods. We help her tear the pictures down, and Naminé smooths her hand over the flat surface. 

“Yep, I can feel it here.” She confirms. 

She lays her spellbook on the floor, flipping through the pages. She draws a few chalk sigils on the floor and on the wall, and takes another minute to make sure they’ve been drawn correctly. 

“Okay, I think I’m ready. I don’t know what’s gonna happen if I open this up, if it’ll close back up again or what. Just be ready.” Naminé instructs. She turns to a page with “Portal Opening Spell” written on it. “Just so you know, I got this spell from the deep reaches of Reddit so, if it doesn’t work, you’re gonna have to find another way.”

Naminé takes a deep breath, gripping her spellbook. She begins chanting and reciting the words written on the page, over and over. 

Something on the wall starts bubbling, like a thick stew, except oily and slick. It drips down the wall, like acid eating away at the wood. At the center of the bubbling mixture, a hole opens up. On the other side is the forest, but there’s an eerie mist snaking around the trees that doesn’t appear in the mortal world. 

“Keep going Naminé, it’s almost big enough for us to get through!” My eyes turn from the portal to her, and I notice she’s shaking and dripping in sweat. “Naminé, come on! You’re almost there!” 

A large bubble begins to swell on the wall, suddenly bursting and spattering us with goo. Now, the hole in the wall is large enough for us to step through. 

Naminé collapses onto the floor, and Xion rushes to her side. 

“She’s still breathing, but she’s really weak. I want to fight by your side, but I want to take care of her…” Xion explains. 

I nod. “If the portal stays open, we’ll be waiting for you to join us.” 

Turning to Terra and Aqua, I give them a brief nod, and we step through. On the other side, Terra places some of Ven’s holy objects around the door to ensure that nothing can get into Naminé’s house. 

A swirling mist appears ahead of us, taking the form of the silver-haired man I had seen yesterday. 

I hold up my hand, halting my friends. “Who are you?” 

“You’ve come to see Lea, haven’t you?” The man replies, his voice cold. 

“Where have you taken him?” I demand, my fist curling. 

“I’ll take you to him,” the man offers, “besides, I haven’t seen my dear friend Lea in quite some time.”

He leads us into the forest silently, and I grip the strap of my backpack. I’m scared to see what kind of state Lea is in. 

“Did you say...Lea was your friend…?” I repeat, when the man suddenly comes to a stop. 

“Xehanort, I’ve brought him.” The man says, and I realize we’ve come to a large clearing. Sitting on a throne of twisted wood, surrounded by thick fog, and leering down at us is “the man himself”: Xehanort. He looks old, which surprises me; and he’s bald. He does have a small, pointed goatee at the end of his centuries-old chin. He regards us with an ancient gleam in his eyes, and I can feel how much power he has gained over the millenia he’s lived through. 

Standing next to him is a girl with golden eyes and straight black hair. I recognize her from Lea’s old photos. 

“Thank you, Xemnas,” Xehanort replies, his voice deep and silky. “So...you must be the infamous Isa whom I have heard so much about.” 

I scoff. “Who said?”

Xehanort waves his hand. “Marluxia, bring forth the prisoner.” 

The fog swirls at his feet, taking the form of Marluxia and a magically-bound Lea. 

“Lea!” I take a step toward him, but an invisible force stops me. I struggle against the invisible hands holding me back, but I’m powerless to break free. 

“Isa!” He struggles against Marluxia’s hold, the same force keeping him away from me. 

His eyes lift to the black-haired girl behind us, and his face falls in disbelief. “...Skuld?” 

“Long time, no see,” Skuld offers. 

“How…?” Lea falters. “I thought I killed you.  _ They  _ told me I killed you…!”    
“We found the girl on the brink of death,” Marluxia explains, “you had drained just enough blood to kill her, but you must’ve turned her instead.” 

“I suffered, alone and scared without you. This is what you felt, isn’t it Lea?” Skuld says with ice and poison in her voice. “The pain of my fangs...the hunger for blood...it was unbearable…but they helped me.”

“Skuld...please forgive me. I was tricked!” Lea pleads, struggling to free himself again. 

“I’m sorry Lea, but I am indebted to Xehanort for all eternity.” Skuld drops his hand. “What should we do with these three?” 

Xehanort regards my friends and me, stroking his chin like a cartoon villain. “I suppose we could feast on the other two, and Isa is still a valuable asset to us.” 

Behind Xehanort, I notice some of the smoke swirling upward and snaking around him. As it starts to take form, I notice it’s a pair of arms. The pair of arms lock around Xehanort’s throat as Xion materializes behind his throne. Shocked and surprised, Xehanort’s focus breaks, and I feel the invisible force disappear. 

“Isa! Go!” Xion cries, gripping her arms to keep her hold on Xehanort. 

“Terra, throw one!” I shout.

To my left, Terra whips out a garlic bulb and hurls it at Marluxia’s face. It hits him in the cheek, and he growls as the garlic burns into his flesh. His grip on Lea breaks, and Lea’s binds fall away. He socks Marluxia in the jaw, knocking him out cold. 

The fog around Xehanort’s feet begins to swirl, like a tornado in miniature, assuming the forms of the other Organization members. 

Xion’s losing her grip on Xehanort, and she calls out to me. “Isa, run!” 

“I can’t leave Terra and Aqua!” I shout back. 

“We got this,” Aqua assures, whipping out two water pistols filled with holy water. “Don’t try it, bitch!” 

“Yeah, run Isa, run!” Terra agrees, twirling a set of stakes. 

I can’t just leave them, so I transform into a wolf and rush into the heat of battle. My backpack jostles around on my shoulders, and I silently curse myself for not listening to Terra’s dumb bandolier idea. 

A blonde woman shapeshifts as well, turning into a snake that slithers around my paws. Though I’m not scared of snakes, I see the venom dripping from her fangs, and reel backward. She snaps at my paws, trying to inject me with the venom. 

Aqua’s water pistol spits at her, the dust flying up where the water streams hit, finally hitting the snake in the head. The snake writhes, turning back into the blonde woman. 

“You little bitch!” She screeches, lunging at Aqua. 

“No you don’t, Larxene!” Lea lunges at her, grabbing her waist. Larxene trips, falling on her face.

“Fuck off, Axel!” Larxene kicks at him, her heel digging into his crotch and disabling him. She runs after Aqua, but Terra jumps in between them and whips a bulb of garlic at her head. 

“Worthless brat!” Larxene squeals, chasing after Terra. 

I fall to my knees next to Lea. “Are you okay?” 

He groans. “Yeah...she really got me there…ON YOUR LEFT!”

I roll to the side, narrowly avoiding a black wolf with one gold eye. 

“Go Isa, they’ll follow you! You have to lead them away from Terra and Aqua!” Lea instructs. 

I push myself to my feet, transforming back into a wolf. I run toward the forest, and soon enough, the Organization is on my tail (almost literally), as a pack of wolves. I wish I could shake off my backpack, but I know its contents determine life and death. 

I can’t tell where I’m going or how far I’ve been, and the other wolves are coming up on me fast. 

The black wolf with one eye tackles me to the ground, but I roll and kick him back. A sandy-colored wolf leaps at me before I can rise to my feet, gnashing his teeth at me. I manage to shrug him off, but I the Organization has me surrounded. Eleven wolves flash by, nipping at my neck, my paws, my entire body. With my tail between my legs, I’m powerless to stop them.

Larxene manages to knock me off my feet, and each take turns gnashing their teeth at me. Endlessly, they attack, and I can barely make it to my feet again.

By a stroke of luck, I roll back onto my paws and escape, but they’re already on my tail again. Back arched and teeth bared, I growl at them. Each one attempts to take a step toward me, but I bark to keep them away. 

Approaching from behind, Xehanort parts the pack. He seamlessly transforms back, his arms spread. “Isa, can you not see that it is futile to continue our combat?”

One by one, the other members follow his transformation, looming above me in human form.

“You will become one of us sooner or later, whether willingly, or by force…” Xehanort threatens. 

“Never,” I spit, lunging for him. He holds his hand out, stopping me with that invisible force. 

“You are a fool to believe you can stop me,” Xehanort says, “I have seen the rise and fall of many empires. I have seen the birth and death of history’s greatest heroes and most heinous villains. I am Hell and darkness incarnate.”

My eyes catch a shift in the forest, and before Xehanort can turn to see what’s caught my eye, I respond. “Maybe  _ I  _ can’t stop you...but a flying bulb of garlic can.”

“What?” Xehanort asks, and immediately a bulb of garlic sails through the air and nails him in the back of the head. He drops his focus, snarling and losing his grip on me. 

“Terra, toss me a stake!” I shout. 

“Gotcha!” Terra affirms, throwing a wooden stake at me. 

I whirl around to stab Xehanort, but he’s dissipated into a cloud of smoke. One of the Organization members leaps at me in wolf form, knocking me on my back. I grapple with his large reddish-brown paws, finally my hand slips and drives the stake into the wolf’s chest. Instantly, the wolf explodes into black powder, coating me in vampire dust. 

I groan in disgust, shaking the dust off me. 

“Lexaeus!” Zexion shouts. He locks eyes with me, rushing toward me. He transforms into a wolf, which I smack aside with my backpack once I’ve removed it from my shoulder. He rolls aside, and I take that time to plunge another stake into his heart. 

“Zexion! Not cool, dude.” Demyx chastises, running toward me. 

A stream of water hits him in the forehead, melting a hole in his flesh just as the portal had opened in Naminé’s wall. He screams in a high-pitched voice, and I turn to the source of the stream: Aqua, holding the holy water-filled super soaker like a machine gun. 

“Don’t look at me, stab him!” Aqua shouts, whirling around to nail a guy with an eyepatch in his good eye. 

I punch Demyx in the jaw, driving another stake into his heart. I look up at a powder-frosted Terra; he looks like a Frosted Flake with black frosting caked on. 

“What’s your count?” I ask him. 

He’s about to count when a man with long black dreadlocks attacks him from behind. 

“Terra!”  _ That dummy.  _ Putting a stake between my teeth, I make a running jump onto the man’s back, gripping onto his shoulders. I remove the stake from my teeth, plunging it into the man’s back. He disappears into a puff of black powder, and I fall on my ass in the dirt. 

“You okay, Terra?” I ask, coughing. 

“Yeah, I’m good,” Terra confirms, shaking the powder out of his hair. “I was gonna say I think I’ve killed at least two.” 

Behind us, Aqua screams a war cry and we hear a man’s scream. Whipping around, we find her covered in black dust. 

“Got two now.” She grins. 

I count on my fingers. “Okay that leaves...Marluxia and Xehanort.” 

“What about that black-haired girl, Skuld?” Aqua mentions.

I bite my lip. “I think that’s Lea’s decision. Lea!” 

We book it back to the clearing, where Lea and Marluxia grapple for power in wolf form. 

I call out his name, but that only distracts him and allows Marluxia to gain the upper hand. I transform into my own wolf form, and I motion for Terra to put a stake in between my jaws. I leap at Marluxia, knocking him off Lea. Marluxia gnashes his teeth at me, trying to get me to snap back. I keep my teeth concentrated on the stake, though I’m careful not to break it. 

Aqua whips out her super soaker, spraying endless streams at Marluxia’s head. “Bad dog, bad dog!” 

Marluxia falls on his side, and he shies away from the water spray. 

I roll onto my human feet, using Aqua’s distraction to drive a stake into Marluxia’s chest. He explodes into black powder with a final scream. 

I clap my hands together to shake the powder off. “That’s ten down, one to go.”

“Ten?” Lea asks, then he recalls. “Oh, right…”

“Are you okay? I imagine it can’t be easy to learn about Skuld now.” I reach for his shoulder, but he stands and quickly embraces me.

“I didn’t think you’d really come to my rescue. I’m not exactly the ‘damsel in distress’ type.” He chuckles softly into my hair. 

“Of course I wanted to rescue you. I couldn’t let you do this by yourself.” I assure him, wrapping my arms around him. “I missed you.”

His grip on me tightens. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to attack you.” 

“I know.” I tilt my head up to kiss him, when Terra suddenly clears his throat. 

“Not to break up a tender moment, but a centuries-old vampire is still around here somewhere, not to mention we still haven’t found Roxas.” He says. 

I meet eyes with Lea, blushing and glancing back at Terra. “You’re right, this can wait.”  _ Assuming we both make it out of this fight alive.  _

We stand back-to-back, the four of us. A cloud of fog at our feet rises to meet us, transforming into Xion.

“Did I miss anything?” She asks, a devilish grin on her lips. 

The fog in the clearing swirls around the remains of the broken throne, and Xehanort appears. Skuld appears beside him, holding Roxas in a chokehold. In her other hand, a wooden stake is pointed at Roxas’s chest. 

The four of us take a step toward them, when Xehanort halts us. 

“If you take one more step, I will have him destroyed.” Xehanort threatens, and Skuld tightens her hold. 

Roxas’s bulging eyes meet mine, and I clench my fists. “What could you possibly gain from this, Xehanort? Your Organization is in shambles!”

“What a shame.” Xehanort shakes his head, “Even without an organization, I am one of the oldest living beings in this realm. My power is immense, and I will stop at nothing to free my kind, allowing them to feast on the lesser race. I will form a new Organization, with thousands of enslaved humans at my expense.” 

Roxas claws at Skuld’s arm, but I can see the light leaving his eyes. Even if strangulation doesn’t kill a vampire, Skuld could stab Roxas in an instant. 

I glance at my friends, who have their weapons poised and ready for my command. 

Having run out of ideas, I decide to do the best thing anyone can do: bullshit. 

“You know what Xehanort? You’re right, we give up.” I announce. “Everyone, drop your weapons. Go ahead, drop ‘em.” 

“Isa -” Terra begins, but I point at the ground. He drops the bulbs of garlic he was holding, and Aqua’s super soaker clatters onto the ground. 

“We’re all yours, Xehanort. Lea, Xion, Roxas, and I will join your new legion of the undead, and you can feast on these two mortals right here.”

“What?!” Aqua shrieks. “Isa, what are you saying?”   
“That’s right, two humans in their prime,” I continue, “good, fresh blood! I’m sure you two must be hungry. Especially you, Xehanort. I figure you haven’t had a good meal in centuries, right? Only feeding off animals, and stuff, it must get really tiring having the same old thing.” 

“Isa, I can’t believe you’re just gonna throw us to the wolves - literally!” Terra says. 

“Look at this prime, juicy piece of flesh!” I grab Terra’s shoulders, showing him off to the vampires. I tilt his head up to expose his neck. “Can’t you just taste his sweet, sweet blood?” 

Xehanort wavers, holding himself back. “Foolish boy, your words cannot persuade me…” 

“That’s a shame, you’re not into guys, huh?” I push Terra aside. “That’s okay. We’ve got Aqua here, a sweet young maiden, untouched by vampire’s fangs. What if I told you that, guarding the entrance where the rift is the weakest and could break open at any moment, is another sweet young maiden? She’s just sitting there, all alone, waiting for us to come back for her.”

Xion elbows me in the side, hissing under her breath, “You’d better not send them after Naminé!” 

“Yep, she’s all alone there, untouched, fresh blood!” I confirm.

“Isa, if we get out of this alive, I’m gonna kill you!” Xion growls. 

I glance at Xehanort and Skuld, the faintest traces of saliva dripping from the corners of their mouths. 

“Xehanort, please...we’ve been famished for years. You refused to let us pursue humans until the plan had been enacted. But I cannot wait any longer!” Skuld snarls. 

“But here’s the thing!” I hold up my finger, letting Lea’s devilish grin spread across my features. “You’re gonna have to catch them.” 

Terra and Aqua glance at each other briefly, before sprinting in the direction of Naminé’s house. Skuld drops Roxas, shifting seamlessly into wolf form and pursuing them. Xehanort morphs as well, following Skuld out of the clearing. Roxas falls onto his knees, coughing and sputtering. 

“Are you okay, Roxas?” I ask. 

“Forget...about me...you sent...them...toward Nami!” Roxas points in their direction. 

“Lea, Xion, take to the skies! Follow them, distract them. Terra’s still got some garlic in his pocket, and Aqua has at least one more water pistol. Take her super soaker, and we’ll catch up. GO!” I point in their direction, and Lea picks up the super soaker. Xion takes bat form, following them from above. 

I help Roxas to his feet, and we join the chase from the skies. We fly ahead of Xion, just in time to find Terra and Aqua have crossed the barrier back into Naminé’s house. The protection from the holy objects sends Skuld and Xehanort flying back.

The four of us meet them, and Lea cocks the super soaker. “End of the line, Xehanort.” 

He and Skuld turn to face us. “You...tricked us!” 

“I didn’t trick you, she’s right there!” I point at her, the trickster grin sneaking back into my features. 

“You have interfered with me for the last time. Prepare to face oblivion!” Xehanort holds out his hand, and a ball of dark energy starts to form.

Skuld leaps out from behind him in lupine state, growling and gnashing her teeth at us. Lea aims the super soaker into Skuld’s mouth, sending a stream flying down her throat. Skuld coughs, shaking her jaw. Lea swings the super soaker, knocking Skuld to the side like he’s hitting a homerun. Skuld flies aside with a yelp, just as the ball of energy finishes forming. Xehanort launches it, hitting me square in the chest.    
“Isa!” Lea shouts. He screams his war cry, rushing toward Xehanort armed with the super soaker. 

In my fuzzy vision, I can see a black shape moving toward the portal: Xion in cat form. Naminé grabs Xion, pulling her onto the other side. Lea smacks Xehanort in the face with the super soaker, battering him with the butt of the water gun and kicking him back. Xehanort flies against the portal, his body covering the small opening. 

Regaining some of my strength, I sit up and scream, “Nami...CLOSE IT!” 

Lea pelts Xehanort endlessly with the remaining water in the tank as Naminé flips furiously through her spellbook. She chants quickly, the portal shrinking around Xehanort. 

Roxas grabs the stake he had snagged from Skuld, running toward the ancient vampire. With a guttural scream, Roxas plunges the stake into Xehanort’s chest. 

“FOR VENTUS!” 

Xehanort screams in agony, as the portal collapses shut and Xehanort bursts into streams of black powder. 

There’s only silence in the area where the portal had opened. Panting, Roxas drops the stake. I rise to my weak feet, and Lea rushes to my side. 

“Are you okay?” He asks, touching my chest where the energy ball had hit me. 

“Yeah, I’m fine…” I reply. 

The sky around us seems to shudder, as if the barrier has closed up. 

“We did it…” I laugh in disbelief. I stare in the direction of where the portal had been, and I realize Terra, Aqua, Naminé, and Xion are still on the other side. 

I limp to the empty spot, waving my hand to find any trace of a connection to the mortal realm. “Terra...I didn’t get to say goodbye…”

A muffled voice calls out my name, and I perk up. 

“Terra, where are you?” I shout.

“I’m on the other side with Aqua, Naminé, and Xion!” He shouts back.

“Are you guys alright?” I ask.

“We’re fine, but the barrier is sealed for good until the next time it opens naturally,” Naminé explains. “I’m sorry Isa, I should’ve waited until you were on the other side.”

“It’ll be fine; Lea, Roxas, and I are together. I’m glad you’re all safe.” I assure her. 

Groaning behind us remind me that Skuld is still on the ground. Lea goes to her, helping her up.

“Skuld, please...I don’t want to fight you.” He pleads. 

“Lea...forgive me…” Skuld groans, coughing. 

“You’re not gonna die, I didn’t hit you that bad,” Lea says, as more of an affirmation to himself. 

“Of course not,” Skuld says pointedly, “but...you do owe me an apology as well.”

“I’m sorry, buddy…” Lea says, throwing his arms around Skuld.

“The connection here is growing weak, Isa; pretty soon, we’ll lose contact for a while.” Naminé says. “Lea, if you can hear me, take good care of Isa. And Isa, take care of Roxas.”

“I can take care of myself.” Roxas says, sniffing. I realize there’s tears rolling down his cheeks. 

“We love you, Isa and Roxas. We’ll see you again someday, we promise.” Aqua promises. 

“Walk tall, Isa. I’ll see you on the other side someday. Stay strong, Rox.” Terra instructs.

“I will,” Roxas agrees. 

“Thank you, for everything. And tell Lea I forgive him.” Xion adds. 

“Will do,” I answer, “I love you guys. Please, take care; I’ll see you again someday.”

I rise to my feet, and the sky shudders again. I help Roxas to his feet, and we meet Lea and Skuld.

“Xion says she forgives you, Lea,” I mention first. 

He smiles to himself. “I’m glad.”

“Skuld, we’re sorry about the Organization and everything. Maybe we can...start on better terms now?” I offer. 

Skuld offers me a rare smile. “Yeah...I think that’d be okay.” 

Lea helps Skuld to her feet, and throws an arm around me. “I guess this calls for a more formal introduction: Skuld, this is my boyfriend, Isa. Isa, this is my childhood friend and the girl who used to have a crush on me, Skuld.”

“Hey!” Skuld shouts indignantly. 

_ Boyfriend?  _

“I’m your boyfriend?” I ask stupidly. “I mean...of course I wanna be your boyfriend. And it’s great to meet you, Skuld; but what are we gonna do now that we’re trapped on this side?”

“It’s not quite as bad as you think it is,” Skuld assures, “it isn’t just forests and ancient beings. This world has developed exactly the same as the modern human world, but there are also places where old ways still flourish. You’ll find that it isn’t a bad place to spend eternity.” 

“Eternity, huh…?” I mumble, glancing at Lea. “Well, if I’m gonna spend eternity somewhere, I’m glad it’s with my boyfriend.”

I grab Lea by the shirt, surprising him, and pull him in for a long-overdue kiss. His hands fall to my waist, gripping me tighter. 

“Ick, PDA,” Roxas mutters. “I hope spending eternity here doesn’t mean I’ll have to spend eternity alone, either.”

When Lea and I break apart, I can finally take a moment to savor the idea of being with him. And that’s all any mortal or supernatural being can ask for. 


	16. Epilogue

It’s been almost seventy years since the barrier was fixed, but as the cycle continues, there are new rifts in the seal opening up. 

The one near Naminé’s old house was the first to our knowledge, and a certain day brought us an unexpected visitor. 

She hadn’t changed at all, even though Lea and I knew how much human time had passed since we last saw her. Her blonde hair still fell draped around her right shoulder, her blue eyes still bright and brimming with youth. But I knew how old she was internally. 

“Naminé?” My eyes were wide with shock. “How…?”

She lifted her hair to show us the bite scars on her neck. 

“Who?” Lea faltered. 

“Xion,” she answered simply. “Not long after you two disappeared as the barrier closed, I asked her to turn me. I had fallen in love with her, and I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. Even if fate had different ideas for us, I knew I had to wait to see the day the rifts would return.”

“But why?” I demanded. 

She glanced at the gold band on her finger. “Because I knew I had to show you how much everything has changed.” 

With curiosity enveloping us, Lea and I stepped through the rift with her. 

The world around us that we once knew was drastically different. New buildings had sprung up like saplings, and old buildings sat as foreclosed husks of a past life. Even the place where Naminé’s old house had stood was an empty lot in the forest. 

She drove us farther and farther from the city, until she pulled into a random parking lot. Glancing at the sign, I read:  _ Radiant Garden Senior Community _ . 

She turned off the car, and we stepped out. She led us to the front desk, claiming to be visiting her grandparents. The woman at the front desk handed us guest passes, and Naminé led us down the hall to a large living space where some senior citizens were playing various board games. 

“Collect $500 from every player! Pay up, everyone!” An old man with grayish-blue eyes and the distant shape of a muscular body shouted at the other Monopoly players he sat by.    
They grumbled as they handed him an orange paper bill, and he chuckled in delight. 

“Wait...Terra?” I gaped. 

He lifted his head, to see who had called his name, and his eyes twinkled. He nudged the woman sitting next to him, who looked up to meet eyes with me. I recognized her immediately as Aqua. Despite their old age, they still retained that youthful look in their eyes. 

I ran to them, falling on my knees and embracing them tightly. “It’s been so long…”

“You haven’t aged a day, Isa,” Terra chuckled. “What’s your secret?” 

I laughed weakly. “What about you? What’s happened? I mean, besides...this.” I gestured to the living space. 

“Well, we were a little upset that you couldn’t make it to the wedding,” Aqua explained, wiggling her fingers to show me a small diamond ring on her left hand. “We saved you a slice of cake and everything.” 

“Not just your wedding, what about Naminé’s?” I motioned to her. 

“Naminé’s getting married?” Terra asked, adjusting his glasses. Naminé held out her hand to show him the gold band. “Well I’ll be...when  _ is  _ the wedding, and who’s the lucky gal?” 

Naminé turned her head to a young woman with short black hair bent to serve a resident his lunch. She turned around, revealing Xion’s still-youthful face.

“Xion, you work here?” Lea asked. 

“It seems I’d finally found my passion,” Xion explained, approaching us. “Besides, I don’t even have to use magic to have these people forget me.” 

“Shannon, this soup is cold!” The resident she had served yelled from his seat. 

She nodded her head toward him, in a “See what I mean” sort of way. “Oh, and the date is a month from now. Think you can all still hang on till then?” 

“You’re only telling us  _ now  _ that you’re getting married?” Terra exclaimed. “I’m on my deathbed, woman!” 

“No you’re not,” Aqua mumbled. 

“It  _ feels  _ like it,” Terra muttered. 

“Think you two can make it to the wedding?” Naminé asked. 

Lea and I glanced at each other. “Only if you can make it to ours.”

She smiled. “Your world, or ours?” 

“Ours, naturally.” Lea announced. 

“We’ll be there,” Xion agreed.

“Us too! Help some oldies like us get across the barrier, will ya?” Terra added. 

“So what have you and Lea been up to in your world? And how’s Roxas?” Aqua asked. 

“Lea and I run a center for newly-transformed vampires, helping them grow into their new powers and avoid killing or turning someone else,” I explained. “Roxas helps out there, too; he’s really good with the younger kids and teens who have been turned somehow. It’s really sad when a kid has been turned, since they have their entire lives ahead of them.” 

“You know…” Lea began, “Roxas didn’t have a father figure to grow up with, so we were thinking about officially adopting him after we get married. We’ve talked about it with him, and he seems to like the idea.”

Aqua nodded. “I think that’s a great idea. You all still look so young, but you really have grown in all these years.”

I chuckled. “Well, not aging physically doesn’t give us an excuse to act young forever, does it?”

“Bah, who says? My mental age is practically that of a newborn’s!” Terra laughed, slapping me on the back. “But I am glad you’re being so mature, Isa. Hell, it’s almost like watching my own grandson grow up!”

I cringe at the thought. “Please...don’t call me your grandson…”

“Here, let me fix your tie,” I offer, straightening Lea’s tie. 

“Man, I was surprised Xion wanted me to walk her down the aisle.” He chuckles. 

“Why? She said she forgave you the day the barrier closed.” I mention.

He shrugs. “I know, it’s just...I would think that’s something a bit difficult to come back from.”

I briefly kiss him for reassurance. “You’re gonna do great. She’s walking you down the aisle at our wedding, isn’t she?”

“You’re right.” He says, pecking me on the forehead. 

“I gotta go, I’ll be waiting for you in our seats.” I open the door, finding my seat and sitting next to Terra. 

“Honestly, I didn’t think they’d ever get married,” Terra chuckles. 

The music starts soon, and Naminé meets with the woman officiating the wedding at the altar. The doors open, and we all stand for Xion and Lea. Lea winks at me, and Xion shoots me a smile. 

He leads her to the altar and sits down next to me. 

The service lasted about a half hour. The second she said “You may kiss your bride”, Naminé kissed Xion like she had never kissed her before. 

The reception was small, just a few of us dancing to a DJ in the smallest wedding hall I’d ever seen. I hadn’t seen a smile so big on Roxas’s face as he danced, even alone. 

“Can’t wait till our wedding, huh?” Lea mumbled, slowly rocking with me in time to the music. 

I glanced at Naminé and Xion, their heads pressed together. 

“Yeah, even though we’ll already be spending eternity together, it’ll be nice to make it official,” I agreed. 

“Aqua, I haven’t seen a reception so great since our wedding in ‘25!” Terra announced, waving his champagne glass. 

“I agree, Terra, I agree.” Aqua nodded, taking a sip of her champagne. “To the eternal lives of these two dope bitches!” 

“Cheers!” I raised my glass, clinking it against Aqua’s.

Naminé laughed, holding Xion tight. I notice she grabbed Xion’s ass through the poofy fabric of her wedding dress, and I yelled, “Get a room!”

“We’ve got one, dumbass!” She cackled, squeezing Xion’s butt harder. 

Somehow, that joke still hadn’t grown old between us. 

I wake next to Lea, the eternal nighttime of our realm making out his silhouette in the dark. 

“Hey, beautiful,” I smile, running my fingers through his hair. 

“Same to you, baby.” He kisses my forehead.

“Your breath smells like a corpse, and I should know!” I laugh, holding my hand against his mouth.

“You don’t smell like funeral flowers, either, babe. And is that any way to speak to your future husband?” He teases.

“You’re not my husband  _ yet _ ,” I joke, rolling out of bed. “I guess I should get ready for the day, huh?”

I stretch, making a point to show off my bare ass to him. He whistles low, and I stick my tongue out at him.

“Isn’t it bad luck to see the bride on her wedding day?” I chuckle.

“You ain’t exactly the blushing bride, sweet cheeks.” He reaches out, slapping my ass. 

I yelp, smirking at him. “This doesn’t belong to you yet!”

“Oh babe, it’s belonged to me since the day I met you.” He growls playfully, pulling me back into bed. 

“You were almost late,” Naminé says pointedly, “care to explain?”

I rub my sore ass. “You...don’t want to know.”

She rolls her eyes. “Come on, just get into your tux so I can make you look less like a ragamuffin.” 

The service starts in a few hours, and I already feel my nerves acting up. Though I’ve known Lea for over seventy years, and dated him for a good portion of those, it feels like I’m seeing him for the first time. I can’t focus on anything anyone asks me, and the people who helped us plan the wedding are just blurs in my unfocused world.

But...all that changes once the music starts, and the doors open, and Lea and Xion are walking down the aisle to me. 

Lea wipes a tear away, and I find myself sniffling, too. He meets Skuld and me at the altar, and Skuld begins the service. 

Even Skuld’s words blur together as I gaze into Lea’s eyes. I almost miss Skuld asking for our vows until she clears her throat.

“Oh, right. Sorry, I’m just a little nervous,” I mumble. Clearing my throat, I give my vow. “Lea, the first day I met you, I didn’t know what to expect. I thought for sure you were just going to be one person who took the pain away for just one night, but little did I know that we’d fight a huge battle together, and win. You changed me - for better, and worse - but mostly for the better. I’m so happy to have met you, and I can’t wait to be with you for even longer than eternity.”

Lea chuckles nervously. “Wow...I don’t know if I can top that; I’ve never been very good with words. Ah-hem. Isa...I’ve lived for longer than I can imagine, and even that hasn’t been as long as some of our kind. But meeting you felt like… new life. I had been through so much pain and suffering alone, but I knew when I met you, all that would change. I was afraid to bring you into my world, but I couldn’t let you suffer through the same things I had been through. I want to take all your pain away forever, I want to be there when you’re scared, when you’re unhappy...but I also want to be there when you smile, to see you every second. I want you to be the rest of my eternal life.”

“Isa...do you take Lea to be your husband, for all of eternity?” Skuld asks.

The words are easy. “I do.”

“And Lea? Do you -”

“Ditto.” Lea finishes.

“At least let me finish…” Skuld mutters, and the small crowd laughs. “I now pronounce you husbands. You may kiss your groom.”

I yank Lea close by the tie, kissing him as if I’ve never tasted his lips before. It’s a taste I’ll never, ever grow tired of.

Once everyone has returned home after our wedding, Roxas approaches us sheepishly.

He asks, “Now that you two are married...will what we talked about still happen?” 

Lea and I glance at each other. “Yep, we’ll finish the paperwork in a few days. You’re gonna be our son soon.”

Roxas rubs his eyes, tears coming to him. “Thanks...this really means a lot to me, you know? And even though I’ve been alive for almost fifty-five years, I still...it just...means so much...thank you…”

He throws his arms around us. “I wish Ven could’ve come…”

I rub Roxas’s back as he cries into our shoulders. 

“Does...does this mean he’s gonna call us both ‘dad’?” Lea asks. “I always figured I’d be more of a ‘Pops’ kinda guy…”

“Uh...I guess I didn’t think about that…” I admit. “Roxas, are you gonna call us your dads?”

He lifts his head, sniffing and wiping his nose. “Uh...if you guys want me to, I guess.” 

I purse my lips. “You know...I’d rather you just call me Isa still, to be honest.”

“If you wanna call me ‘Pops’, I’m good with that.” Lea says.

Roxas sniffs and chuckles. “Okay...Pops and Isa.” 

“Wait, I’m not your dad yet!” Lea corrects. “This is gonna take some getting used to…”

_ Funny,  _ I think, glancing at my husband and my son,  _ that’s what I thought was the day I realized I wasn’t human anymore.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for supporting this rewritten version of Warning Signs!


End file.
